


What Remains of the Apocalypse

by Caelice



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Drug Use, Drug Withdrawal, Family, Gen, Hurt Number Five | The Boy, Hurt/Comfort, Murder, Number Five | The Boy-centric, Sibling Bonding, Starvation, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:20:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 95,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26864293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caelice/pseuds/Caelice
Summary: Three days before the Apocalypse, a Temps Commission worker fails to check in his briefcase. As a result, it is left on Earth when humanity is wiped out. Less than a year later, the briefcase is discovered by a lone time traveler and is used to make an unregistered trip back to the 24th March 2019.Five lands in the living room of the Hargreeves mansion minutes before his father's memorial, seven months after being trapped in the Apocalypse.
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy & Diego Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Klaus Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy) & Everyone
Comments: 620
Kudos: 990





	1. Urgent reminder: Apocalypse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place in Season 1 although it starts to diverge from the plot quite heavily from the beginning. I really wanted to explore how different events would have been if Five had found his way back to his siblings in the early days of the Apocalypse, without his knowledge of the Temps Commission or his experience as a temporal assassin.

On the 28th March 2019, the Temps Commission issued a recall notice to the remaining agents on the field. It read the following:

‘URGENT REMINDER: APOCALYPSE TO COMMENCE IN THREE DAYS. RETURN TO HEADQUARTERS TO CHECK IN BRIEFCASE.’

A Commission agent named Sebastian received the message via pneumatic tube whilst hiding out in the underground bunker of his latest mark. The mark was a survivalist named Robert Langley who had built the bunker below his house, ironically in preparation for an Apocalypse which he believed would be happening at any moment.

Upon reading the message, Sebastian slid his briefcase under the bed’s metal frame for safekeeping – normally agents were tasked with keeping it with them at all times, however he considered that a nuclear bunker would be considered safe enough for the time being – and exited the bunker using the vaulted door which only the mark and himself knew how to work.

He entered the mark’s bedroom and put seven bullets in his head before the man could even stir, and left the body where it was. It didn’t matter if anyone found him like that, not when the world was ending in three days.

All that mattered was that Robert Langley was too dead to start a violent confrontation today on the street which would eventually lead to a chain of events that was highly likely to reduce the probability that a man named Harold Jenkins would then trigger Vanya Hargreeves into causing the Apocalypse on the 1st April 2019.

The Commission had to be certain that nothing would prevent the Apocalypse.

With his task completed, Sebastian then went to the kitchen to fix himself a sandwich for the trip back to headquarters. As he walked towards the basement door to re-enter the vault, he accidentally tripped over his own feet and fell, cracking his head against the corner of the kitchen counter and passing out.

The knock to his head didn’t kill him instantly, but it put him in a coma. Three days later, the Apocalypse ravaged the Earth and he died when the house caved in on his body.

Back at the Commission Headquarters, a worker flagged in a post-Apocalypse debrief that eight briefcases had not been checked in before the end of the Apocalypse.

Five were retrieved, and three were left behind due to lack of accessibility. One of these was Sebastian’s briefcase, which still remained under the bed in an impenetrable doomsday bunker. Due to its location and the destruction of Earth’s population, it was deemed as low risk and written off.

Humanity was destroyed. The Commission continued to work diligently at maintaining the timeline.

One day, just before the end of his shift, an Infinite Switchboard Operator noted that an unauthorized trip was made by one of the briefcases left on Earth. The trip was completed seven months and two days after the Apocalypse took place.

A one-way trip made by a single traveler to the following date: 24th March, 2019.

* * *

The wagon was indispensable in Apocalypse life.

Five had picked it up in his first time scavenging through a row of houses. He had been struggling to find anything edible in the nearby supermarkets, and had shifted to scouring through any other buildings which hadn’t been completely razed to the ground.

The wagon had been buried under what had once been someone’s shed and was completely covered in dust, however it was functional and perfect for what he needed.

He had brought it back to the library and left it there for a few months, occasionally greasing the wheels with some motor oil he’d found in a nearby half destroyed garage. He rarely traveled far enough to actually need it, however he knew that eventually he would be forced to start thinking about moving out of the library once resources started to become scarce.

Finally, nearly seven months after he had landed in the apocalypse, and six months after he had first discovered the library and set up camp within the ruined bookshelves, he made the difficult decision to leave.

Stupidly, he let his emotions get the better of him and waited until the last moment to make his move. In truth, he was scared to abandon the relative safety of the library. It sheltered him from the coming winter and now just as the temperature was dropping to dangerous levels, he was being forced out.

He had completely run out of food for a whole day before he finally accepted his fate. It was a stupid decision on his part, and if he managed to live through this winter he would never make the same mistake again. 

“Well, Dolores,” he said, turning to his only companion who he had met in a department store two months prior. Their friendship was new and blossoming, but Five had already found a kindred spirit in Dolores. “It’s time for us to head out into the Great Beyond.” She was dressed in a ladies’ parka with pink ear muffs and matching pink gloves, which he had been proud to present to her last week.

He packed up his meagre belongings, set Dolores up in a comfortable position in the corner so that she would be able to see where they were going, and tucked Vanya’s already well-read book carefully underneath a set of dirty blankets. With his most prized possessions in tow, he left the library and began to roam around looking for a better place to camp.

It only took a few hour for him to realize what a terrible mistake it had been to wait this long. The cold was biting and savage against his malnourished, underfed body, and as he trekked outside of his usual radius he found that there was even less food than he had hoped for.

By the second day he miscalculated a step and twisted his ankle badly. The pain was bearable, however he needed to take a half-day break huddled in a pile of bricks to keep warm. When they started again, it slowed him down immensely.

On the fourth day without food, he ran out of water.

On the sixth day without food and the second day without water, a wheel broke off the wagon while he was dragging it through the remains of a house. It rolled away from him after snapping off, coming to rest in a pile of ashes.

“Fuck,” he said hoarsely, his voice tinged with despair. He scrambled to pick it up and brought it back to the now unbalanced wagon, trying desperately to slot the wheel back into place. “Come on, _come on!_ ”

 _‘Stop, Five, it’s no use,’_ Dolores said to him, worry coloring her tone.

“I know that!” he snapped, throwing the wheel away with shaking hands. He sat down heavily on the ground, burying his head in his hands. “I know that, shit!”

He wasn’t strong enough to drag the broken wheelbarrow, not now with a twisted ankle and nearly a week without food. He could barely even drag his own body down the goddamn road without gasping for breath on the ashy, smoky air. His throat was parched, unbearably parched, and the pain in his stomach was all-consuming. 

For the first time since arriving, he knew with near absolute certainty that he was going to die. He was barely just fourteen years old, and he was going to die alone in a barren hellscape. Dolores would be left with his rotting corpse, and the equations which he had just begun to fill out in the first few pages on Vanya’s book would go unused.

A feeling of complete hopelessness washed over him, something he’d never experienced even in all of his time in the Apocalypse.

Around him the Earth was cold and unsympathetic.

He kneeled until his knees were numb, and only when he could finally stand it no longer did he look around himself. There was nothing but rubble and ash and the remains of what had likely been a living room

Dolores was calling for him.

‘ _Five, Five look! Over there!’_ she said urgently. Her arm was pointed to the ground, and he couldn’t remember pointing it down there but as he followed her finger he could see something protruding from the rubble. Carefully he reached out, brushing away the dust from the metal until it was easy enough to see what was beneath him.

A vaulted door.

He swallowed dryly, feeling nothing but dust scratching his throat. A vaulted door to what? He couldn’t know what was behind it, but there was only one way to find out.

He could count the number of times he had teleported into the unknown on one hand. As a young child he had rarely even considered teleporting somewhere he didn’t know since there was never any need for it, and by the time he was old enough to contemplate it, he was also old enough to know it was a silly idea.

Behind this vault could be a bunker of some sort, or a tunnel, or at worst it could be completely cemented over. He had no way of calculating how far he should jump, and at his current capacity he could manage just about one jump, maybe two if he completely miscalculated and found himself with a 50 foot drop underground.

“What do you think, Dolores?” he asked hoarsely, his eyes never leaving the metal door. “Should I try it?”

‘ _What other choice do you have?’_ she asked him.

He laughed humorlessly. Of course he had no other choice. Gathering up the remaining strength he had, he focused his energy into his shaking hands and jumped into the unknown.

He jumped only a meter into the vault, figuring it would be better to fall a distance and give himself time to recover than to teleport himself into the solid floor. He barely had enough time to catch himself before he landed on the hard concrete, legs buckling under him painfully and cheek smashing against the ground. He saw stars, crying out from the pain.

It took him a few moments to recover, the only sound around him his own harsh breathing and a ringing in his ears. When the dark edges around his vision cleared slightly, he took note of his surroundings.

It was pitch black around him, and he felt around until he found a switch, pleasantly surprised when the wall lights illuminated the room he was in. He wondered if they were battery powered somehow. 

He was in a bunker of some sort, with a tiny kitchen in the corner, a bed with a metal frame to the side and a desk next to a small bookshelf filled to the brim with books. He could see two doors, one which must have led to the bathroom and the other he couldn’t be sure about.

Forcing himself to his feet, he began to explore. He was at a loathe to leave Dolores outside, but looking at the ladder to the vault door he knew that he didn’t have the strength to even begin to try opening it from the inside.

The first door led to a bathroom as he suspected, and the second one opened into a fully stocked pantry. It only took him a second of staring in complete astonishment before he dived straight into the first thing he could find.

A jar of strawberry jam. He twisted it open with shaking hands, nearly sobbing when it resisted for a second before popping open. Without a second thought he dug his fingers directly into the jar and began shoveling the jam into his mouth with an eagerness that would have been humiliating if he weren’t alone. His fingers were dirty and grimy, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“Oh my god,” he groaned. The first bite was the greatest thing he had ever experienced in his life, and he had to close his eyes for a moment to fight against the dizzying relief.

He continued to scoop out the jam and shove it down his throat while he grabbed a bottle of water, ripping it out from the six pack packaging and downing nearly half of it in one go. He had to force himself to stop when he became slightly queasy, and the thought of throwing up was enough to slow him down and take stock of what was around him.

He couldn’t believe his luck. The pantry was definitely enough to last him through the winter, maybe even a year or two if he was careful. The food had clearly been carefully chosen to be long lasting, mainly canned goods, energy bars, dried and dehydrated foods and even some alcohol.

He swiped a bottle of rum from the shelf and headed back to the main room. He was still hungry, but the water he had just downed satiated him for now and he was suddenly more interested in celebrating with his newfound alcohol. He knew it was a stupid idea, but the relief of finding a place like this in the Apocalypse as close to death as he had been, gave him what could only be described as a buzzing high that made him giddy.

He wasn’t dead yet, and he was going to _celebrate_ goddamnit.

“Dolores, you saved my life,” he said out loud, an uncontrollable grin spreading across his face. She was still outside the bunker, but he heard her say a faint ‘ _you’re welcome’_ and immediately felt pleased with himself. “I owe you one. Promise I’ll get you in here with me as soon as I’ve got the strength.”

He took a couple of swigs from the rum, grimacing at the taste. He had occasionally found cans of beer and a bottle here and there amongst some of the supermarkets and had always indulged. No point in wasting perfectly good alcohol after all. Even though no one was around to see him, it still felt somewhat exciting and rebellious to get drunk, and he found that when he was drunk the whole Apocalypse situation was just a little bit better to manage.

He explored the bunker on unstable legs, both still weak from hunger and getting progressively drunker. The bunker had all of the necessities of a stocked pantry, first aid kit and entertainment in the form of books and notepads.

He found a black briefcase tucked under the bed and pulled it out, sitting on the bed so that he could put it comfortably on his lap.

“What’s this?” he muttered, voice slurring slightly. He gulped down more rum, some of the jam smearing onto the lip of the bottle. He was well and truly sloshed. If only Reginald could see him now, he would surely be a proud father. “Must be something…something important, if they were hiding it in a bunker. ” 

He flicked open the briefcase, ready to be met with the sight of random documents or maybe even a boatload of useless cash.

Instead there was a flash of blue. Electricity. A dizzying force pulling him and pushing him at the same time.

Then he was falling, and he landed hard on top of the briefcase. The sound of items smashing and voices yelling was sudden and jarring, and it took his brain several moments to stop spinning. Nausea erupted in his stomach and he clenched his jaw trying to push it back, breathing through gritted teeth.

He opened his eyes, vision swimming. He had landed on a table, still gripping the briefcase for dear life even as the items on the table had smashed and scattered from the force of his landing. His legs moved of their own accord, shifting him off the table until he was able to push himself upright, albeit swaying slightly.

Slowly he looked around him, unsure of whether this was some drunken trick on his mind or whether it was something else. He took in the grand living room he was standing in, so familiar it felt like he had been ripped back in time, and the group of people staring at him in stunned silence. Their expressions were varying levels of shock and confusion, and they also looked achingly familiar to him although he had only seen them once before. It took him several seconds to even realize who they were.

They had all looked so different when they were dead.

“Does…does anyone else see a small, dirty child standing in our living room with a briefcase?” Klaus asked uncertainly.

Five looked down at himself and for the first time in several months realized just how disgusting and dusty his clothes and skin were, and how grimy he felt all over. It had stopped meaning anything to him after the first few weeks, but he must have looked unrecognizable in this state.

“No, no, I see him too,” Diego said, frowning and taking a step forward. Five immediately stepped back, although he wasn’t sure why. It was instinctive, after so many months of not seeing another living person. He felt like he was in a dream, wading through water while all noises were muffled around him.

The woman who was the farthest back, Vanya, stepped forward with her brows furrowed.

“Isn’t that… _Five_?”

Unable to hold back the rising nausea, Five vomited straight onto the living room rug. As the others exclaimed in shock and quickly gathered around him, he found himself thinking of Dolores still sitting outside that bunker, waiting for him to come rescue her.


	2. So much for a welcome party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your beautiful comments, I've read each and every one of them and they have all made me so happy! This is the first fanfiction I have uploaded for many, many years and last week was a reminder of how great the fanfiction community is. I hope you enjoy the second chapter, this rollercoaster ride is only just beginning :)
> 
> I just want to add a warning that this story will still contain canonical character deaths, which means that anyone who died in TUA Season 1 is very much at risk of dying in this story as well.

The last time that Diego had been in a room with his family, or what was left of it, he had been seventeen years old and planning his escape from this mansion that very night. Nobody else had known about his plans back then, however the air had been rife with tension.

It had only been a few days after Ben’s death and their lives had been irreparably damaged. So he had run away into the darkness without even a glance back, and that was the last time he had been in this house until now.

Being gathered in the living room with his remaining siblings, preparing for the memorial of a man that he had refused to think about for many years was one of the strangest things he had experienced.

It felt like being a roomful of strangers, enemies and family members all at once. 

All of them were displaying varying levels of discomfort at being in each other’s presence, except Klaus, and when the silence became unbearable he forced himself to speak:

“Where the hell is Pogo? I want to get this over with so I can leave.”

“Why, so you can go back to your leather clad night time activities?” Klaus joked, fully splayed out onto the couch wearing Allison’s skirt. “Do you see how creepy it sounds when I describe it?”

“Shut up Klaus-”

“Maybe so he can run away like he always does,” Luther muttered under his breath.

Diego stood up from where he was leaning against the wall, rippling with irritation. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

Allison sighed. “Guys, can we go one minute without fighting-”

“No we can’t, Allison,” Diego interrupted rudely, and his sister threw her hands up in exasperation. “So let’s just get this over with now. Then we can all go back to pretending we don’t exist, and Luther can go back to fantasizing about one of us murdering Dad.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You sure as hell implied it,” Vanya muttered.

Whatever else she was about to say was drowned out by a sudden explosion of noise.

A crackle of blue electricity ripped through the air, and they all simultaneously jolted back as something seemed to fall out of the ceiling, landing on the coffee table and shattering various ornaments underneath. Diego instinctively leapt forward until he was standing next to Luther, with the other siblings gathered behind them yelling in confusion.

The blue vortex receded almost immediately, leaving behind whatever had fallen out of it in a room full of stunned onlookers. As the figure moved off the table to stand up and look around, Diego realized that he was looking at a child.

A very dusty and dazed child who was wearing multiple layers of equally filthy clothing and staring at them all in a mirrored expression of shock.

“Does…does anyone else see a small, dirty child standing in our living room with a briefcase?” Klaus asked from behind him.

“No, no, I see him too,” Diego said, glad he wasn’t the only one living this strange dream.

“Isn’t that… _Five_?”

Like a bolt of electricity the realization struck all of them at once, just in time for Five to lean forward and vomit on the rug. Immediately the room broke out in shocked voices as they all clambered to make sense of what was happening, however Five seemed more concerned with emptying his stomach than paying attention to them.

When he swayed and nearly fell forward, Diego leapt to his side to grab his arms and steady him while Luther did the same on his other side.

“Jesus Christ, w-w-what the hell?” he hissed, and immediately he was hit by the smell of vomit and grime. He reeled back from the odor but held his tongue. “Five, you okay?” The kid didn’t respond, simply clutching at his stomach and staring at the puddle of vomit in confusion. Diego gave him a gentle shake, suddenly very conscious of how thin Five’s arms were under his grip. “Five? Come on, talk to me buddy.”

“Am I dreaming?” Five asked, his voice barely above a whisper. “Is this even real?” The shock of hearing him speak made Diego loosen his grip, and their brother would have fallen if Luther wasn’t still holding onto him.

Luther made a strange noise in his throat. “You tell us, Five. You’ve been gone for what, seventeen years? Where the hell have you been?”

“The future. It’s shit,” Five said, before clutching at his head and groaning in discomfort. “Ugh, I think I drank too much rum, I feel sick.”

No one had anything to say to that. After what seemed like an eternity, Klaus clapped his hands together.

“Right! Well, fortunately that is a problem which I have the most expertise in solving out of all of us, so should we move him to the kitchen? Get some water in him, sober him up, then he can explain what in the ever loving fuck is happening?”

No one disagreed with that, so Diego and Luther helped a wobbly Five to the kitchen while the others followed behind. Their now younger brother moved to sit down but Diego dragged him to the sink first to wash his hands. 

“No offense, Five, but you kind of reek. When was the last time you took a shower?” he said, wrinkling his nose as the stink followed them into the kitchen. “What is that smeared all over your face? Is it blood?”

Five shot him a sullen look before reaching down to wash his hands. “It’s strawberry jam, asshole.” He wiped away the dried jam smeared all over his mouth, and when he was done that patch of skin seemed to be the only clean part of his face.

He seemed to take pleasure in seeing Diego’s mouth twist in irritation before making his way back to the kitchen table and sitting down carefully. Klaus, humming with fake cheeriness, put a glass of water down onto the table in front of Five who downed the entire thing almost immediately before slamming it down. 

Five ignored him, slamming the glass back down. “What’s the date? The exact date.”

“The 24th,” Vanya supplied helpfully.

“Of what? Month? Year?”

“March, 2019.”

Five put his elbows onto the table, digging his hands into his greasy hair and mumbling to himself. Listening closely, Diego could hear a soft ‘ _what the fuck’_ being mumbled under his breath.

“Five, what happened to you?” Allison asked cautiously. “You said…you said you were in the future. Does that mean you actually time traveled?”

He nodded, looking grim. “Yeah, I did. Dad was right, I should have listened to him.”

“How long were you in the future?”

“Just over seven months. I landed on April 1st, 2019. Turns out time travel is a total crapshoot. I figured out about five seconds after landing that I couldn’t travel back as easily and was stuck there.”

“So you’re what, just past fourteen?” Luther asked, looking confused. Five nodded.

“Wait, 1st April? That’s like what, eight days from now?” Klaus said. “Then why do you look so…” He gestured silently at Five’s form, clearly trying to come up with something inoffensive and tactful before giving up completely. “What were you, homeless and roaming the streets? Because I’ve been there before, and even I didn’t look like this.”

Five shrugged. “It’s been a rough time.”

Something lurched in the pit of Diego’s stomach, but he wasn’t sure what it was. They all shared a look, their faces equally apprehensive however once again none of them really knew how to follow up. Instead they just stared at Five as he looked around the kitchen, staring at everything in wide eyed wonderment as he seemed to slowly take in his surroundings.

When his eyes moved back to them, they landed on Klaus.

“Nice dress.”

Klaus glanced down at himself, before his face broke out into a pleased expression. “Oh, _danke_!”

Five spotted the newspaper on the corner of the table and picked it up, scanning the headlines. His eyebrows raised slightly as he took in the picture of Reginald splashed out on the front page.

“So he’s actually dead, huh…heart failure?”

“Yeah.”

“No."

Diego rolled his eyes, however Five had barely noticed.

Instead he stood up, tossing the paper onto the table and said, “I’m going to go shower.” Before any of them could protest he disappeared in a flash of blue.

“Right…I forgot about that,” Luther muttered grumpily. “I guess we should wait until he’s done to get started with the memorial?”

* * *

During his nights spent in the Apocalypse, Five had daydreamed almost constantly about how he would return to his family. Usually he imagined himself casually strolling in through the front door as they were doing roll call, disinterested and much too cool to notice his siblings’ wide eyed looks of shock and eager questions about where he had been. He would look his father in the face and brag about how he had time travelled with success, no thanks to him.

He had figured that a solid week of his disappearance would have been long enough to give his disappearance an air of mysteriousness, but not too long as to make them despair.

As the weeks passed, the daydreams became less complex and started to fade into one singular desire – to see his family again. To see them alive and to simply know that he was there to keep them safe.

Walking through the mansion now felt like a daydream, although it wasn’t one that he had ever imagined living. His fantasy week of disappearance had somehow turned into years during his absence, and now he was staring into the faces of strangers who hadn’t seen him for longer than he’d been alive.

He picked up the briefcase on his way to the shower and set it on the bathroom counter while he washed. It was priceless to him now, but he just needed to figure out how to use it properly before jumping straight into the unknown.

The shower was heavenly and the spray of water on his face was the first thing that day that truly woke him up to what had just occurred. He spent what felt like hours washing off months of grime and ash.

When he finally stepped out, he took the opportunity to look in the mirror and grimaced at his scraggly hair and sunken eyes.

He had rarely looked at mirrors in the Apocalypse, mostly because there was really no need to see what he looked like. Sometimes looking in the mirror was almost somewhat unnerving, the dusty face in the glass pale as a ghost with two glassy eyes staring back at him.

He pulled some scissors out of the drawer and began to chop at the black hair which had descended past his ears. Grace had cut all of the children’s hair in the Academy, but Five hated the feeling of being groomed and had insisted on cutting it himself. After a few misguided attempts, managed to learn how to at least cut it in the style he liked.

With his hair freshly cut he then realized that he had no choice but to wear the Academy uniform, as it was the only thing that would fit him in this house. Putting it on gave him a dizzying rush of nostalgia, and when he finally looked in the mirror again it was like staring at a whole different kind of ghost.

He was thinner and paler, sure, and his face was gaunt and more tired than he had ever looked, but if he looked past all of that he could have been staring at his thirteen year old self minutes before he had made that life changing jump.

Before heading down to the living room, he rummaged through his belongings. Within the pockets of the clothes he had been wearing he found what he had been looking for, and felt an immense relief.

The glass eye, plucked from his dead brother’s hand, which he had kept on his person every single night. He was worried he had lost it, but it stared back at him tauntingly.

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you,” he muttered darkly. “I know you have a part in all this, and I’ll figure it out sooner or later.”

The expression on his family’s faces when he reappeared in the living room was enough to make his stomach swoop. He clutched the briefcase next to him tightly, determined not to let it out of his sight.

“Oh wow, Five,” Vanya said, a strange thickness to her voice. “You look…”

“Skinny as shit,” Diego interrupted gruffly, his brows furrowed with something akin to concern. “Dude you’re _swimming_ in those clothes. What have you even been eating all this time? Because it sure as hell isn’t enough."

“Could we just get this over with?” he said impatiently, not wanting to field questions about his appearance. That was for another time and place.

Recognizing Five’s words as a dismissal they headed outside. Pogo greeted him kindly as they walked together, and he felt a tinge of sadness at seeing how aged the ape was compared to the last memory he had of him.

Gathered in the rain, Five laid eyes on Ben’s statue for the first time ever. He had known from Vanya’s book of course that Ben was dead by this point in time, however seeing the proof of it was gut wrenching. In his mind he could still see the Ben that he had left behind at the dining table less than a year ago.

 _Soon_ , he thought, his fingers brushing comfortingly against the briefcase.

He was so focused on the nausea that he barely noticed that Luther and Diego had started fighting until Klaus put an arm in front of him to shield him. He watched as the two men threw punches at each other with childish rage and was amused by the fact that neither of them had grown out of their childish rivalry.

“Nice to see nothing’s changed,” he quipped sarcastically.

Klaus snorted. “Oh, you have no idea. The only difference is that now dear old daddy isn’t here to keep us in line.”

Five couldn’t help but agree, and he cringed as Luther fell into Ben’s statue and the entire thing toppled over and cracked. This was a waste of time, but he would have expected nothing less at a memorial for a man like Reginald Hargreeves.

* * *

When he headed down to the kitchen a while after the memorial, eyeball tucked safely in his pocket and briefcase in his grip, he realized that he was starting to feel a sharp headache brewing. It felt like someone was drilling into the space behind his eyeballs.

Right, the half bottle of rum.

He had forgotten about that in the chaos of the funeral, however it was clear that he hadn’t quite managed to escape the side effects despite throwing up and downing a glass of water. Both that and his recent bout of near starvation and dehydration were making him feel achy and ill.

He crossed paths with Allison just as they both entered the kitchen, and she jumped slightly at the sight of him. Clearly she wasn’t used to seeing him around.

“ _Hallo_ , my dear siblings,” Klaus crowed loudly, strumming tunelessly on his guitar and making Five wince. He was sitting at the table with his feet up on the surface. “Five you are looking spectacularly under the weather this fine evening. Let me guess, you’ve reached the hangover stage of your little alcohol fueled fun fest?”

“Unfortunately, thanks for noticing.”

“Anytime, anytime _mein bruder_. You know underage drinking is bad for you-”

“Where’s Vanya?” Allison interrupted, dropping her coat onto a chair. She already looked exasperated with Klaus’ joking around.

“Oh, she’s gone.”

Five blinked. “Wait what? She left?”

“Yep, like a fart in the wind. Pogo said she called for a taxi straight after the memorial, probably sick of the sight of us already,” Klaus said, pouting his lips with mock sadness. “Not sure why, this family is a delight to be around!”

Five swallowed back the sudden feeling of anger, turning to rifle through the kitchen shelves as a way to hide his pinched expression. It was stupid, _he_ was stupid to feel this way, but he couldn’t help the sting of rejection that arose from her sudden departure.

He had spent months in the Apocalypse desperately dreaming to get back to his family and surviving on scraps and insects just so he could try and figure out how to turn back time and save them, had apparently been missing in their timeline for seventeen _goddamn_ years, and now Vanya just leaves without even a goodbye?

 _So much for a welcome party_ , he thought bitterly, ripping open a packet of crackers and shoving the first one into his mouth. So far his sneak peek into the Hargreeves’ adult lives hadn’t been a particularly inspiring one.

“Five?” Allison’s voice broke through his thoughts. “Are you okay?”

He tensed. Clearly he wasn’t hiding his irritation as much as he’d hoped. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just need something to get rid of this hangover, preferably somewhere outside of this damn house.”

Before she could question him, Diego walked in with his bag slung over his shoulder.

“All right, I guess I’ll see you guys in, what, ten years? When Pogo dies?”

“You’re leaving too?” Five interrupted, his voice sharp.

He shrugged, completely oblivious to Five’s glare. “Yeah, well Dad’s funeral is over so what else am I going to do? It’s not like I live in this shithole.”

Allison rolled her eyes and left, mentioning something about going to find Luther. Five watched her leave with growing resentment, and quickly stuffed another cracker into his mouth to stop himself saying anything he might regret.

“Hey, here’s an idea!” Klaus said suddenly, slapping his hand on the table. Both Five and Diego jumped in surprise at the sound. “You should drive little Number Five and me to Griddy’s Doughnuts.”

“And why would I do that?” Diego scoffed.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe to spend some quality time with our kid brother who’s been missing for seventeen years?” He raised his eyebrows expectantly at Diego, and Five immediately felt his cheeks burn. Klaus was surprisingly observant for a man who clearly high as a kite.

“I’m not a _kid_ ,” he ground out, deliberately avoiding their gazes. “We used to be the same age.”

“And now we’re more than double your age.”

An awkward silence fell between them, however Five refused to be the one to break it. He already felt humiliated enough by Klaus’ ham-fisted attempt to force some sibling bonding time, and a part of him wondered whether it would just be easier to blink out of here and pretend this conversation had never happened. He was sure that Diego would be more than happy to comply.

Denial and avoidance were shared traits of the Hargreeves family, after all.

After what seemed like an eternity, Diego shifted and started to move again, heading out the back door. 

“You have two minutes or I’m leaving without you,” he said gruffly, leaving Five and Klaus to scramble out of the kitchen and follow behind him. Five kept the briefcase gripped firmly in his hand, ignoring both of his siblings’ weird looks when he climbed into the car and placed it reverently on his lap.

He watched out the window as they pulled out of the driveway, staring at the Academy looming over them like a dark shadow.

He could put aside his disappointment for now and focus on the wider mission: figuring out how to stop the Apocalypse, and saving his siblings’ lives and the lives of everyone on Earth. That was the only thing that mattered right now, more than his feelings or their clearly fractured relationships.

It didn’t matter, in the end, that his return wasn’t how he had pictured it. It was a second chance, and he wasn’t about to complain.


	3. When the drugs kick in

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your wonderful comments, they make my day :)
> 
> I do want to say that there will be little to no romance involved in this fic, which includes most if not all of the canon pairings although there might be hints here and there alluding to previous romances. Luther and Allison will not have had romantic feelings for each other (although they are still very close), as I really just want to focus on the sibling and family aspect of all of their relationships since that has always been my favorite part of TUA. 
> 
> This chapter will contain graphic, canon typical violence. Hope you enjoy!

“Hi boys, what’ll it be?”

The three of them had settled in one of the corner tables at the empty doughnut shop, Diego looking like he wanted to be anywhere else but here while Klaus was slung over the chair haphazardly. Five couldn’t stop himself from looking around, marveling at how similar it looked to seventeen years ago when they used to sneak out to eat doughnuts until they puked.

It felt like a lifetime ago now.

“Hiya, Agnes,” Klaus said chipperly when no one else spoke. “We’ll have a selection of four of your best doughnuts, and I’ll have a hot chocolate. Mr. Frowny Face will have a decaf, and the kid will have a regular coffee, black.”

Five shot him a weird look. “I don’t drink coffee, I’m fourteen.” He had discovered instant coffee during his time in the Apocalypse, however the lack of hot water meant that it was disgusting to drink. Usually he would just eat the coffee grounds plain, shoving them into his mouth and coughing through the dryness.

“Trust me, it’ll sober you up.” Klaus winked at him.

Agnes left to put in their order, and a delivery driver walked into the restaurant before taking a seat at the breakfast bar. Five watched him for a few moments, before finally his brother seemed to be compelled to break the silence once again.

“Well, isn’t it nice to have the Hargreeves boys back together again? Minus Luther of course, but who cares about him?”

Diego finally pulled his gaze away from the window to scoff at Klaus. “Oh, that’s nice. Real thoughtful of you.”

“What? I’m just kidding. Poor dude needs to get out of the mansion more. Between there and the moon, I can’t even think of when the guy has even had the chance to get laid-”

“What’s with the briefcase, Five?” Diego interrupted, for which Five was immensely grateful. The last thing he needed to do was hear about Luther’s love life, or lack thereof. “You basically landed on that thing when you came out of…whatever it was. You keeping secrets in there?”

Five tightened his grip around the case protectively, feeling the leather rub against his fingertips. Diego had made no move to touch it, but he still somehow felt the instinctive need to hold it closer to him.

It was his lifeline, his only way back home to the family he’d left behind.

“This briefcase is how I got back here from the future,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “When I landed there all those months ago, seventeen years for you, I found myself stuck. I could travel forward easily but traveling back was a different matter entirely. I tried…so many times to get back, but I would just hit a wall.”

Five paused as Agnes reappeared at their table, serving them the food and drinks they’d ordered and shooting Five a kind smile as he thanked her. Diego and Klaus were watching him, transfixed as he spoke. He waited until they were alone again before continuing.

“I found this…bunker or something, under someone’s house. It was empty so I guess they didn’t get to use it, which was pretty ironic since-” He paused, nearly tripping over his words in his panic.

Diego narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Since what?”

“Nothing. Since nothing. Anyway, I found this briefcase,” Five said, ignoring the way his voice cracked slightly as he recovered from his near slip up. He had no intention of sharing where he truly had been with anyone. Not yet anyway. The other two exchanged glances, however they didn’t push. “I just opened it and it threw me back in time, right into the living room. Guess it must have been programmed to land today and I activated it when I opened it.”

“So it’s a _time traveling_ briefcase?” Klaus said in awe, reaching out to touch the handle. Five slapped his hand away, shoving the briefcase onto the floor between his feet.

“Don’t touch! I don’t know how it works, and until I figure it out _nobody_ is touching the briefcase.”

“Ow, okay jeez.”

Five took a sip of the coffee, reveling in the heat of the drink and the delicious bitterness. He hadn’t had a hot drink or meal since landing in the Apocalypse, and the taste was heavenly.

“Whoa, that’s good,” he croaked after greedily guzzling down the entire mug. Klaus looked pleased at this admission.

“Told you.”

His expression then twisted into one of disgust as Five grabbed a chocolate doughnut and began to shovel it down for all he was worth.

He only now realized that he still hadn’t eaten anything solid for the past week except for a jar of strawberry jam, which he had thrown up, and a few crackers. His stomach was still cramping from hunger pangs and his fingers and legs were trembling badly, although he knew that was only temporary until he could get some food in him.

“Okay, we need to talk about that,” Diego said, shoving the case of tissues towards Five who had chocolate on his fingers. “What’s with you knocking back the calories like you haven’t eaten in years? You were always a small kid, but I’m pretty sure I don’t remember you being this skinny.”

“It’s been seventeen years, maybe your memory’s just wrong,” Five said, rubbing the chocolate from his face. He knew he probably looked disgusting, but he was too hungry to care.

“Bullshit, I would remember if you looked like a walking skeleton. Dad may have been a piece of shit, but he never starved us.”

“Yeah, I’ve got to agree with Diego here – you’re not looking too healthy,” Klaus said, pushing a jelly doughnut towards his brother, who snatched it up. “Were there no doughnuts in the future?”

“No,” Five said abruptly, ignoring the questioning glances. He slowed down however, nibbling carefully at the jelly doughnut so he would not regret it later.

They let him eat in silence for a few minutes, until after a while the delivery driver stood up and left, bidding Agnes goodbye and glancing at them curiously before heading out the door.

Five watched him go, an uneasy feeling rising in his stomach.

Despite the blue ceiling lights shining on the restaurant, the entire room suddenly seemed to be slightly darker and more threatening. He watched as the waitress turned towards the doughnut rack, using a pair of tongs to pick the remaining ones off the rack and placing them into paper bags.

A few seconds later, the front door opened and the bell jangled. Five felt his blood run cold at the sight of the armed men entering the restaurant, and he leaned forward to hiss:

 _“Diego_.”

Diego turned to see what he was looking at, before turning back to Five and reaching down to his belt for one of his knives. Klaus immediately straightened up, wide-eyed and uncertain as the men locked the door behind them.

One of them stepped forward, his gun pointing directly at Five’s forehead in a way that made his heart race with adrenaline. He didn’t show it however, his face masked into an expression of disinterest. When the man spoke, he spoke directly at Five.

“Okay. So let’s all be professional about this, yeah? You give us the briefcase, nice and easy, and then get on your feet and come with us. They want to talk.”

“Who’s they?” Klaus interrupted, however the man ignored him.

“If you’re here about the briefcase,” Diego said slowly, an undercurrent of rage in his voice. “Then you won’t mind asking your friend over there to stop pointing his gun at the waitress? She’s got nothing to do with this.” He jerked his head towards one of the men, who was aiming his rifle directly at a frightened Agnes.

The man who had spoken scowled at Diego, and Five immediately jumped in to draw the attention back to himself. He needed them not to look at Diego, who was gripping the table tightly and ready to spring into action.

“Do what he says, and I’ll do what you say.”

The leader lifted an arm behind him to wave his lackey over, and the moment the man turned around Agnes scurried to the back room, closing the door behind her. There was the unmistakable sound of a door locking, which echoed loudly in the silence.

Five looked at Diego, reaching down to grip the handle of the briefcase and pull it up, placing it on the chair next to him. With his right hand, he surreptitiously picked up one of the butter knives next to his plate.

Then he blinked away.

 _“_ What the _fuck?”_

He reappeared behind the gunman in the farthest corner and stabbed him in the neck, jumping back as the man gurgled and jerked, shooting into the ceiling chaotically. The sound drew their attention from his brothers as the men shouted and began letting bullets loose. He teleported away, the bullets flying past where he had been standing.

In the corner of his eye he saw Diego fling a table over on its side and shove Klaus down behind it, before sending his knives flying into the necks of multiple gunmen. The broken lights were flickering off and on, and the stop motion movements of the men around him became jagged and twisted as they flailed to regain control of the situation.

Five jumped again, stabbing the butter knife into a man’s thighs. He launched forward to grab Klaus by the arm and teleported them out to behind the breakfast bar. Klaus was gripping onto the suitcase for dear life, yelling something in Five’s ear but he couldn’t hear anything over the din of the gunfire and glass shattering.

He grabbed the toaster behind him, wrenching it from the wall before teleporting out from behind the bar. As he smashed it over the head of one of the men, he felt a burning pain bursting in his right arm and he instinctively blinked back to behind the bar.

“Shit!” He gripped his throbbing arm and watched as blood dripped down the sleeve of his blazer and onto his fingers.

“Is that blood?” Klaus yelled, craning over for a better look. “Fuck, Five you got shot!”

“Yeah,” he breathed . “I got shot…” The sight of it made him dizzy, and he only hoped that Diego could take care of the last of their attackers by himself because he didn’t think he would be of much use right now. His already tired body was rebelling against him and he found himself unable to will his limbs into working. 

Despite all of the missions they had ever been on, he had never been shot before. It hurt a lot more than he had imagined.

Through the ringing in his ears, he could barely hear the shooting subside until finally the only sound was that of a lone person stepping on the slippery floor. The footsteps neared and Klaus, who was gripping Five’s uninjured arm, tensed as a head poked over the breakfast bar.

The two of them breathed a sigh of relief. It was Diego, covered in splashes of blood and looking just as relieved to see them alive.

“You guys all right?”

“Five got shot!” Klaus said, his voice higher than normal. Both that and his iron grasp on Five’s arm betrayed his concern.

Diego’s eyes widened. “Fuck, seriously?”

He jumped over the counter, crouching down next to Five and pulling away his hand gently although Five resisted. The thought of moving his arm right now was unbearable.

“Jesus, don’t, it’s fine. It’s just my arm,” he hissed, wanting Diego to just let him squeeze the arm tight enough to cut off the circulation and hopefully numb the burning pain shooting up and down the limb. 

Diego pulled his fingers away, tearing open the sleeve of the blazer and frowning as blood continued to pour from the wound. After inspecting the wound he grabbed a clean rag from behind the counter and gave it to Five.

“You’ll need some stitches, but it looks like it’s just a graze. A bad one, but it won’t kill you. Put pressure on the wound for now to stop the bleeding and we’ll get you to Mom.”

Five resisted the urge to make a snarky remark about how he was just as well versed in first aid as Diego was – their father had made sure of it – but he didn’t have the strength to say much of anything. Instead he did as he was told, unable to stop a groan of pain as he pressed down on the wound.

“Can you walk?” Diego asked. He nodded, however he couldn’t will his legs to work at all. Klaus had to pull him up onto shaky limbs, Five knew immediately that if his brother let go then he would go sprawling back onto the tile.

Outside the restaurant, they could hear the sound of sirens approaching.

“Right, screw it,” Diego muttered, and he simply scooped Five up over his shoulder as if he weighed nothing and they ran out of the restaurant as fast as possible. He put Five carefully in the backseat where Klaus joined him looking fretful, before jumping into the driver’s seat and tearing down the road just in time for the police cars turning the corner to miss them.

As they headed towards the Academy, they waited until they were completely out of range of the police sirens before any of them spoke.

“Who the hell were those guys?” Klaus said, as always the first to break the silence.

“No clue,” Five said shortly. He wasn’t angry, but he just didn’t have any energy to expend on saying more than he needed to right now. “They wanted…shit, the briefcase!”

He jolted out of his seat and nearly smacked into the headrest in front of him, startling his brothers and nearly making Diego veer off the road. A passing car honked aggressively as they passed it, swerving back into the correct lane just in time.

“What the fuck, get back down!” Diego snapped, reaching behind to shove Five back into his seat and earning a glare which he couldn’t even see. “Just focus on the damn gunshot wound before you hurt yourself even more.”

“But the briefcase…where-”

Klaus cleared his throat, looking guilty.

“Right. The briefcase. About that…” Klaus said. His eyes traveled down to the briefcase which Five was surprised to see as he hadn’t even noticed him carrying it. He reached down to grab it, and immediately Five’s heart dropped down to his stomach and he knew what Klaus was about to show him.

It was riddled with bullets and smoking, completely destroyed and unusable. He knew it even without opening it to check, but he had to do so anyway.

He reached for it with bloodied hands and Klaus passed it to him silently, ignoring Diego’s disapproving glare in the rearview mirror.

With slippery fingers, he changed the numbers on the combination lock to ‘1-0-1-1-2-0-0-2’ using the little 'd-d-m-m-y-y-y-y' indicators etched above the lock. 

The date he had left his family. The date he had thought he knew better than everyone else and had made the senseless, _idiotic_ decision to walk out and prove it to them.

He flicked open the latches and the briefcase clicked open. 

Nothing happened, except a quiet sputtering sound and a tiny puff of smoke emitting from the mechanism.

In the corner of the briefcase, he could see a flashing light from a tiny metal pill shaped device. It looked like a tracker, and most probably how those gunmen had found him and the briefcase at Griddy’s.

Numbly, he ripped the tracker out of the briefcase and tossed it out of the half-open window. It landed on a storm drain before falling in through the grates and disappearing.

He could hear his brothers asking if he was okay and Klaus shaking his shoulder lightly, but he was too far away to respond to them. All he could think about was that his only chance to see the family he’d left behind again had blown up in smoke, and now he was trapped here with no way back.

* * *

The drive back to the Academy had been stressful for Klaus, as Five had seemingly retreated into a state of shock and refused to respond to any of their questions. Halfway through they had given up on trying to initiate a reaction and instead Klaus had taken over in pressing the bloody rag to Five’s arm and just given Diego a status update every few minutes or so.

Once they had finally arrived, Diego had picked Five up and instructed Klaus to go get Grace.

Eager to have a moment away from the sight of his brother’s pale face and blood soaked arm, Klaus ran through the Academy yelling for their mother frantically. Ben did the same as he followed, even though logically Grace would never hear him.

They finally found her, sitting in front of her favorite paintings and cross stitching while humming a soft tune.

“Mom! There you are! I need-we need you in the infirmary,” Klaus said, tripping over his own words in his haste.

She smiled at him. “What seems to be the problem, dear?”

“It’s Five, he’s been shot!”

“Oh, that’s unfortunate,” she commented, turning back to her cross stitch. Klaus slowly turned to stare at Ben, who stared back with a look of incredulity and shrugged.

“Um, yeah, not the only word I’d use to describe it but I guess that works? Could you maybe come to the infirmary please?”

She nodded cheerfully, placing her cross stitch down on the seat next to her before following him to the infirmary.

His brother was helping Five pull off his blazer and shirt, carefully peeling the clothes which were sticking to his skin. Despite the blood and the gory tear in Five’s arm, the first thing that Klaus noticed was the fact that he could see all of Five’s ribs poking out. Now, without the clothes to hide it, they could see just how thin he truly was under the garish light.

Diego’s scowl deepened as he took in the sight, clearly torn between how to react. Finally after a few seconds he just grumbled: “Wrong memory, my ass. I knew you were bullshitting me.”

He pushed Five down lightly until he was laying on his back and staring at the ceiling. Five, seeming to have finally snapped out of his trance, just turned to glare at him.

“You don’t know anything,” he said, his voice slurring slightly.

“Yeah, well why don’t you tell me then?”

Klaus clapped his hands loudly, causing them both to turn and stare at him. “Okay children, maybe we can focus on, you know, the open wound in Five’s arm? That seems like the most urgent thing to do right now. Mom, could you please?”

Grace smiled at him. “Of course dear.”

She turned to the medical tray of sanitized tools she had just placed on the side table, picking up the surgical needle and thread and leaning down to place the tip on Five’s arm.

His completely uninjured arm.

“Whoa, hey, Mom! Stop!” Klaus and Diego both jumped forward, the former managing to pull her hand away before she cut in too deep while Five jerked away looking bewildered. A droplet of blood squeezed out of the tiny fresh wound on his arm, and although it was harmless Klaus felt slightly ill looking at it.

Right. In the chaos he had forgotten about the fact that Grace was clearly becoming less and less functional as time went on.

“I’m sorry, did you not want me to stitch up the wound?” Grace asked, looking perplexed.

“Um, yeah, but maybe do that in the arm which actually has the wound in it?” Klaus suggested, a disbelieving note tinging his voice. “Maybe we shouldn’t let Mom do surgery anymore.”

Diego took the needle from Grace’s hand, looking defensive. “She’s just confused, that’s all. She needs time to recharge. Mom why don’t you go have a seat or something and rest up?”

She did as she was told, looking at the other wall with a bemused expression on her face.

“Perhaps I can be of service?”

The three of them looked up to see Pogo standing in the doorway, and the collective relief was palpable.

“Oh thank god, yes, Pogo could you please? His arm got shot in half,” Klaus said, gesturing towards Five who was looking paler by the second.

“Don’t be so dramatic, Klaus.”

Pogo wasted no time on questions, moving to Five’s side and getting to work on administering local anesthesia, which made the tension noticeably drain from Five’s body. He then cleaned the wound and stitched him up before applying a gauze over the stitches. 

Diego sat next to their mother and watched intently, while Klaus stood in the corner next to an anxious Ben. He couldn’t figure out what to do with his hands, crossing his arms then dropping them to his sides before finally shoving them into his pocket.

He felt his fingers brush against the pills he had stashed in there earlier today and thought _fuck it_ , popping them into his mouth in what he hoped was a subtle movement. He was unlucky however, as Ben immediately took notice and narrowed his eyes in dissatisfaction.

“Seriously? That’s what you’re doing now?”

“What?” Klaus said defensively, not bothering to keep his voice down. “It’s a very stressful situation!”

“I thought you wanted to get sober so you could summon Dad.”

“Yeah well, I’ll do that tomorrow. For now I need something to take the edge off of this crappy day.”

“Who the hell are you talking to, Klaus?” Diego snapped, rubbing at his temples. It didn’t take much for him to lose his temper with Klaus nowadays, which Klaus thought was unfair. After all, he was a _delight_.

“Oh, just myself as always. Like a crazy person.” All he received in response was an eyeroll, however at this point he had gotten what he wanted in the form of pills and no longer cared about anything but feeling that familiar high. 

After what seemed like an eternity, Pogo stepped away with a deep exhale and removed the gloves before inspecting his work. Five had been silent during the entire surgery, staring up at the ceiling and lost in a world that was inaccessible to anyone but him

“You were lucky, young Master Five, that this was only a graze,” he said, looking somber. “In any case you should be fine. I would recommend not using this arm much over the next few days. I will provide you with antibiotics to prevent infection, and will need to change the bandages daily as well as remove the stitches in approximately a week’s time.”

Five nodded, looking tired. “Sure thing, Pogo.”

Pogo then turned to Klaus and Diego. “Now would either of you care to explain how the young Master even found himself in such a situation?”

Klaus put his hands up, feeling thoroughly accused. “Don’t look at us! Those guys were after Five and his briefcase, Diego and I just got caught in the middle of all of it.”

Pogo looked skeptical, however anything he was going to say was interrupted by Diego standing up and approaching the bed. Any sense of concern had been wiped away now that Five was safe, and instead he looked nothing short of pissed.

“Yeah, speaking of that, no more dancing around the damn subject. You’re hiding something from us, and you’re going to tell us exactly what that is.”

“Or _what_?” Five snarked, his once drowsy face lit up in what Klaus could only describe as teenage defiance. It was reminiscent of their younger days at the Academy when Five would stand up to their father, the only one of them to ever do so with such blatant insolence. Once he had left, none of the others had ever moved to fill that space.

They had either outright worshipped him in Luther’s case, silently defied him with seething hatred, or simply laid low their time until they were old enough to leave.

“Or I get Allison to rumor it out of you.”

The new few seconds were a tense standoff between two of the most stubborn members of the Hargreeves family, however finally, whether it was due to the tiredness or the blood loss, Five backed down. He slumped back onto his pillow wearily, and turned until he was facing Pogo.

“Sorry Pogo, I think this is between my brothers and I.”

Pogo sighed, looking resigned. “Very well. Grace and I shall leave you to it.” He hobbled over to the entryway with Grace following in his footsteps, and as he passed Klaus he muttered: “Make sure he gets some rest, Master Klaus, and some food. He’s going to need plenty of nutrients to recover, especially in his current condition.”

Then he was gone, closing the door behind them.

Klaus approached the bed, just as intensely curious as Diego was about…well, everything. With great reluctance Five tore his eyes away from the ceiling and looked at both of them, his face carefully emotionless.

“What do you want to know?”

“Who were those gunmen?”

“Don’t know.” Diego glowered at him, and Five glowered back. “I’m _serious_. I have no clue who they were, or what they wanted with me or the briefcase.”

“Okay, that’s another thing - what the hell was that briefcase and why is it so important? You said it was a time traveling briefcase? How did you even get ahold of a freaking time traveling briefcase?”

“I told you already, I just found it in some guy’s bunker,” Five hissed, looking almost embarrassed by his less than detailed responses. “No clue where it’s from or why those guys wanted it, but I wasn’t lying when I said I just found it randomly and it sent me back here.”

“Great,” Diego muttered. “So you know nothing.”

Before Five could snap again, Klaus interrupted them. “What happened in the future? When you landed there. What was it like?”

He watched as Five wilted, his eyes slowly going back up to the ceiling and avoiding their gazes. For several minutes he was silent, and Klaus was sure that he wasn’t going to get a response to his question, until finally Five sighed. It was the most weary sound Klaus had ever heard anyone make, and it chilled him to the bone.

“Eight days from now, the world will end. All of humanity will be wiped out and I have idea why or how to stop it. You want to know where I was in the future? I was in the Apocalypse, and I was the last person alive.”

It was at that moment that the drugs kicked in, and Klaus knew he was high.


	4. The Meritech merry-go-round

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some familiar new faces and the neverending hopelessness of the Hargreeves family. I hope to paint each of the Hargreeves siblings in a sympathetic light for all their flaws in this fic, since I love all of them as characters. 
> 
> As always, thank you to all the lovely readers for the kind comments and kudos <3

When Diego woke up that morning, he enjoyed around twenty seconds of blissful ignorance before the events of the previous night hit him like a train wreck. He groaned as he peeled his face off the pillow and rolled out of bed. 

Right. Five. Apocalypse. Crazy gunmen. He should probably deal with all of those things.

He had slept in his leather outfit that evening, which he was sorely regretting since it was covered in blood and sweat from the incident at Griddy’s. Jumping into the shower that morning was a dream, and when he exited and put on a fresh set of his usual leather pants and black turtleneck, he felt like a new man.

He decided to confront reality after breakfast, heading down to the kitchen in the hopes that Grace might be there to prepare him his favorite breakfast of eggs and bacon.

As he passed Allison on the way, she did a double take.

“I thought you’d left? Seemed like you couldn’t wait to get out of here yesterday.”

“Yeah well, apparently I was needed for babysitting duties,” he said gruffly, not giving her the chance to respond. He wasn’t in the mood to explain any of what had happened yesterday. He could barely understand it himself.

When he walked past the living room, he heard voices which sounded like Klaus or Pogo.

_“…absolved of any blame or consequences.”_

_“Oh, well, lucky bastard.”_

He glanced in and wrinkled his nose as he realized that Klaus was standing in his briefs and smoking a cigarette, looking guilty as hell.

Not wanting to have any part in that conversation either, he headed straight to the kitchen.

As he had hoped, Grace was busying herself at the stove already looking refreshed and immaculate as always. She greeted him cheerily as he entered and he grinned at her.

To his surprise, Five was already sitting at the table in a fresh set of Academy clothing. He was sipping at a glass of orange juice, while in front of him was a bowl of porridge with sliced bananas and honey. He looked surprisingly well rested despite his still somewhat gaunt appearance, although he had a faraway look of concentration on his face.

“What, no doughnuts or booze today?”

Five looked up, his expression immediately shuttering at the sight of his brother at the door. When he spoke it was with great disdain, as if Diego was interrupting something supremely important.

“Pogo’s orders. He has Grace monitoring my diet since I hadn’t had any food for nearly a week before landing here.”

Diego grimaced at the reminder. He took the seat in front of Five, watching as he diligently ate the porridge at a measured pace which was so unlike his behavior the day before.

Grace slid a plate of eggs and bacon in the shape of a smiley face onto the table in front of him, as well as some cutlery.

“Thanks Mom,” he said, giving her a grateful smile before turning back to Five. “So…the Apocalypse, huh?”

Five narrowed his eyes. He was clearly unimpressed by his brother's pathetic segue into last night’s conversation. “

You don’t believe me. Neither of you do.” There was a bitter edge to his words, which Diego had only ever heard him direct to their late father. It was unsettling to hear it being used with him.

“Okay first of all, don’t lump me in with Klaus. I don’t think he even remembers what you said last night, he was so high. Second of all…you’ve got to admit it sounds pretty crazy. Didn’t the old man always say that time travel could screw with your mind?”

“I’m _not_ crazy,” Five said through gritted teeth, bristling at the accusation. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, before resuming his breakfast. “You know what, Diego? Believe whatever you want. I don’t have to explain myself to you. I can work on preventing the Apocalypse, and _you_ can continue running around into your spandex like a pervert.”

“It’s not spandex, it’s leather. And I’m not a pervert. God, you-all of you-just shut up about my outfit!”

Five smirked at him. “Stop dressing like that and we will. Now that that’s settled, I need a ride.”

“Oooh, what’s this about a ride? Because if you’re giving them out for free, I’ll take one.”

Klaus entered the kitchen wearing the same clothes as yesterday, which were stiff with dried blood and still had bits of broken glass in them. He looked pale and tired with his eye makeup slightly smeared, holding a cigarette in one hand and a squashed half-eaten doughnut in the other.

“Is that from last night?”

Klaus looked at the doughnut. “What, this? Yeah, turns out it was in my pocket the whole time! I seem to remember squeezing the shit out of it while we were being furiously gunned down last night, but there’s still some jelly left inside. Can you believe it?”

“Klaus, you are so gross,” Diego said, clearing his plate and dropping the cutlery back onto the table. “Now what the hell is this about a ride? Where would you even need a ride to anyway?”

“None of your business,” Five responded childishly. He had always been the most defiant out of all of them. It seemed like that hadn’t changed one bit.

“Very mature. If that’s your answer then you’re not getting a ride.”

“ _Fine._ I need a ride to Meritech.”

“The Prosthetics company? Why would you need to go there?”

“I need to see a guy about an eye.” That made no sense to Diego whatsoever, however before he could ask for more details Five stood up, scraping his chair back loudly and making his way to the back door. “No more questions. Are you giving me the ride or not? Otherwise I’ll walk.”

“Fine, Jesus, I’ll give you a ride. I need to go to the police station anyway. I want to see what they found out about those gunmen last night.”

With a uninterested shrug, Five simply blinked out of the room. That left Diego behind with a Klaus who was sprawled on the kitchen chair smoking and licking doughnut jelly from his fingers.

Something in Five’s behavior had shifted. While he had been guarded with them since arriving, now he was a closed book. Diego thought it had started with their dismissal of his wild Apocalypse theory, however he wasn’t so sure. 

The dismay in Five’s expression when he’d seen the bullet-riddled briefcase had been hard to watch. He had shut down after that, unable to hear either of their concerned questions.

And then he had started on the Apocalypse. Frankly, Diego found it hard to believe that the world was going to end on the 1st April, particularly since Five didn’t seem to have any idea of what had even caused it. The kid didn’t seem completely with it at the moment. The most he could do was just watch him and make sure he didn’t do anything dangerous.

They had more pressing things to worry about right now, like the gunmen from last night. Diego had a feeling that they wouldn’t be the only ones showing up.

He knew just who to speak to in order to get the answers he needed.

* * *

“I’m not telling you anything, Diego.”

“Aw, come on Eudora, just tell me who they were,” Diego said, feeling put out. The buzz of the police station was loud enough that their conversation was going unheard, however he still lowered his voice. “You got any names? Criminal backgrounds?”

“Don’t call me that. It’s Detective Patch to you,” Patch responded, looking exasperated. She was rifling through papers on her desk, carefully placing them face down so that he wouldn’t be able to sneak a peek. “And frankly, I should be asking _you_ the questions here.”

Diego blanched. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Really, Diego?” She searched through the papers on her desk for a few seconds until she found the file she was looking for. “Maybe I’m dreaming, but I have a witness statement here from the waitress at Griddy’s who told me that she wasn’t the only one there last night when the attack took place.”

Diego cursed under his breath.

“Let’s see…ah, right here. It says that when the gunmen entered, there were also three other people in the restaurant. One of them was, and I quote, ‘ _clad in some sort of spandex outfit with a utility belt, and had a scar on the right side of his face_ ’, the other was _‘dressed in a feathery black coat and wearing eyeliner’_ and the final one was ‘ _a kid in school uniform, who looked much too skinny and had a tattoo on his wrist’_. Now, call me crazy Diego, but that first one sounds an awful lot like you doesn’t it? And the second person…I’m guessing your brother Klaus?”

“Maybe.”

“Pretty stumped on the last one though since in all the time I’ve known you, you’ve never had a kid. Is he Klaus’ son?”

“He-what? No, he’s not,” Diego said, frowning at the mental image. “It was Five.”

Patch stared at him, brow furrowed in confusion. “Who?” Suddenly recognition dawned on her face, melting away all of her previous disdain. “Wait, Five? As in your brother who went missing when you guys were what, fourteen?”

“Thirteen. And yeah, he’s back and he’s still a kid. Apparently he can time travel which is why he went missing. It’s a whole big thing and an even longer story,” Diego said dismissively, eager to move back to the subject of the gunmen. “Anyway, point is, those guys were after him last night. They tried to kill him, and everyone else there was just fair game, so it would be really great if you could let me know whatever it is you have on them, so I can make sure there aren’t anymore of these guys after him.”

Patch still seemed to be wrapping her head around the fact that Diego’s brother who had been missing for seventeen years had somehow returned, but as a child. She stared down at her notes, before finally sighing and squeezing the bridge of her nose as if she was getting a headache.

“Look you…I just…you _know_ I can’t give you any of this information, but to be honest there was nothing that really stood out at all. All of them had criminal records which was to be expected, but as of yet we haven’t found any ties to a wider organization. Sorry, but that’s all I can give you.”

“I need more than that. What are their names?”

“What you _need_ is to give me a witness statement from last night, and to get your brothers in here to do the same. Does Five even know why they were trying to kill him?”

“He has no clue, says he’s never seen them before.”

“Does he need protection?”

“No, I’m taking care of that.” She gave him a look, and immediately he bristled with defensiveness. “What? You don’t think I can do it?”

“It has nothing to do with your skills, and everything to do with the fact that you’re impulsive and hot-headed.”

“Well, you’re always pretending to play by the rules and being a good little cop, but I know that’s not who you are. You like putting bad guys behind bars as much as I do.”

Patch simply shook her head. “Look just…just let me take your witness statement, and if I find anything useful I'll let you know, okay? But _only_ because I’m worried about the kid, and _not_ because you asked me.”

Diego knew that was the best he would be able to get out of her and resigned himself to that fact, even though he felt like he hadn’t learned anything of use.

He rushed through the witness statement, ignoring her increasing frustration with his half-hearted responses until finally, less than half an hour later she threw her hands up and told him to leave.

“And make sure your brothers come in for a statement!” he heard her say as he left. He simply sent her a backwards wave and then stepped out of the station.

He had left an insistent Five and a bored Klaus at Meritech before heading to the police station, with the promise that he would come pick them up once they were done. He’d done so with great reluctance, only agreeing because Five had threatened to simply teleport out of the car and make his way there himself.

On the ride over, he mulled over how quickly things had changed in the course of a single day. He had arrived at the mansion yesterday prepared for a tense evening with his family, who he hadn’t seen in years, while they all pretended to mourn a man who had never loved them.

He had experienced exactly that, however suddenly a long lost brother, a time traveling briefcase and a crew of murderous gunmen had been thrown in the mix. Now he was questioning what the hell Five had gotten himself into since he’d been missing.

His tolerance for this day only grew smaller when he arrived at Meritech and took in the sight of his two brothers sitting on the steps of the building, one of them bleeding from a head wound with what looked like confetti in his hair and the other nursing a swollen lip.

“What the hell happened to you guys?” he demanded, once Klaus had settled comfortably into the front seat and Five in the back. 

“Oh, just a little confrontation in Mr. Biggs’ office. You should’ve seen me in there, Diego, I was absolutely breathtaking in my performance!” Klaus said, lifting his hands above his head as if waiting for applause. “And little Fivey here, he played along with me _perfectly_.”

“Performance? What are you…” he glanced back at Five, who seemed surprisingly unconcerned about the cut on his lip. “Wait, _you did this_?” He stared incredulously at Klaus, who simply smirked in delight.

“Oh hell yeah! Like I would let that nasty Grant put a hand on _my_ son. And then he smashed me over the head with a snow globe! Well, actually, I did that as well-”

“His name was Lance,” Five corrected. “And it doesn’t matter anyway. Turns out the eye hasn’t even been manufactured, so we won’t be able to find the owner. Not yet, anyway.”

Diego was completely lost. It wasn’t an uncommon feeling ever since Five had returned back into their lives. He had so many questions, not least why the hell Klaus had called Five his son, apparently given him a swollen lip and also smashed a snow globe over his head?

He settled for the one question that might not give him a headache.

“What eye are you even talking about?”

Five produced a glass eye from his pocket, looking at it with vivid intensity. “There’s someone out there who’s going to lose an eye in the next seven days, and then they’re going to end life on this Earth as we know it. If I can find that person, I can stop the Apocalypse.”

Right, the Apocalypse. He had wanted to forget about that entirely.

“Great, well, while you search for them you may as well go down to the police station with me and give a statement to my…to Detective Patch. She’s investigating those gunmen from last night, and she wants to talk to you. She wouldn’t give me much info, but she might be more inclined to tell you stuff since they were after you in the first place.”

Klaus leaned forward, brushing his fingers through his hair until more glass and colorful red and blue flakes fell onto the floor of the car.

“What the hell, Klaus? You couldn’t have done that outside?” Diego demanded. Klaus yawned and reached into his pocket for a cigarette and a lighter, which Diego grabbed out of his hands immediately. “You’re not smoking in here. How many times do I have to say that?”

“Did you even listen to me?” Five asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

“Yeah, yeah, Apocalypse, end of times whatever,” Klaus said dismissively. “So when do I get my twenty bucks, Five? I’m hankering for a burger or something, maybe we should head to that burger joint just ‘round the corner?”

Their younger brother was looking between the two of them with an air of incredulity. “I can’t believe it. You’re both totally useless.”

“Hey! Young man, you need to respect your elders,” Klaus scolded, while Diego just rolled his eyes and started the car, driving back towards the police station. “Does that mean I don’t get my twenty bucks?”

Behind him, he could see Five getting silently worked up until finally he sat with his arms crossed and glared out the window.

Great, now he was sulking. Just great.

Klaus had already moved on to a new subject, filling up the tense silence with inane chatter. He searched through Diego’s car for anything he could find, despite Diego’s growing annoyance with the papers and other small bits falling to the ground of his car.

It was reminiscent of the multitude of times Klaus had called him to pick him up from some club or some stranger’s house, or at worst what he was sure was a drug den. He had always responded.

Initially it was out of care, however as the years went on and cash in his car or in his wallet would go mysteriously missing it became a burdensome duty. He was driven only by the fear that if he refused something bad would happen and he would have to live with the guilt of it for the rest of his life.

As much as he didn’t get along with his siblings, he couldn’t face losing another one of them again.

It was this thought that finally urged him to speak as they turned onto the road in front of the police station.

“Look,” he began, hoping to break Five out of his bad mood. “If you and Klaus can just give Eudora a witness statement, I think it’ll really help her investigation into these guys from last night. I promise that I can help you with this…Apocalypse stuff later. I just have a bad feeling that these guys weren’t working alone, which means that you could still be in danger. You might not be as concerned about that, but _I am_ , okay? We just want to keep you safe.”

There was no response.

“Five?” He turned to stare at the backseat. It was completely empty. “What the fuck? Where’s Five?”

Klaus hummed, shrugging his shoulders. “Oh, he blinked out ages ago. I’m surprised you didn’t notice!”

“Unbelievable. Just…unbelievable,” Diego snapped, slamming his hands down onto the wheel in frustration. “Why the hell did you let me talk for so long if you knew he wasn’t there?”

“Oh, because it was just so _beautiful_ what you were saying…you reaching out with your olive branch and your _feelings_ , being worried about Five’s safety,” Klaus said, patting his shoulder sympathetically. “Really, really touching stuff, man. Yeah…anyway, you got twenty bucks to spare?”

“Just get in the goddamn station, Klaus,” Diego said, climbing out of the car. He looked up and down the street but there was no sign of their brother anyway. He could be long gone by now.

He was honestly more pissed at himself for not remembering that this was exactly what Five used to do when he didn’t get his way. In fact, it was exactly what he had done seventeen years ago when Reginald had refused to let him time travel. Maybe it was too optimistic for Diego to think that he had learned his lesson.

He followed Klaus into the station, hoping that Five would stay out of trouble and make his own way back to the mansion later that day.

* * *

Five wandered down the street, his mind having been in turmoil since the encounter at Meritech. According to Lance, the eye hadn’t even been manufactured yet which meant that it was a dead end for now. He had left Lance with a death threat and a promise to call him the moment an eye with that serial number was sold.

Until then he was completely out of leads.

It hadn’t been the outcome that he’d been hoping for as it left him with nothing to do but wait, which was his least favorite way to handle a problem. 

Diego and Klaus had been completely hopeless of course. Not that he’d thought otherwise.

He knew that teleporting out of the car had been childish, especially since Diego was actually trying to help him - which was more than he could say for any other of his siblings - however he couldn’t help the sullenness that arose in him when remembered their twin looks of disbelief the previous night.

It had hurt to watch them dismiss the hell he’d been through. He had ached even more for the siblings he’d left behind after they had left the infirmary.

Seeing them now, in their adult lives, only increased his guilt tenfold. His family was fractured. He hadn’t been there to keep them from falling apart.

He walked aimlessly with no particular destination in mind. After wandering for what felt like hours, he found that his legs had brought him straight back to the scene of the crime.

Griddy’s doughnuts.

Surprisingly open for business despite yesterday’s events, although one of the windows had been boarded up.

Figuring there was no harm in at least seeing what was left behind, and maybe even trying to get some clues about the mysterious attackers from last night, he decided to drop in. 

He was just a few feet away when the door opened and two figures stepped out one after the other.

A man and a woman both dressed in impeccably tailored suits. The man was holding a briefcase by his side, and when he turned Five was able to get a better look at it.

His body reacted upon instinct, ducking behind the nearest parked car until he was out of sight from the two strangers. He put his hands against the doors. His heartbeat was racing as he kept his down and listened to their footsteps as they drew closer. He had no idea why, but he just knew that he couldn’t let them see him.

He couldn’t make out the words they were saying and watched as they both climbed into a pale blue car parked a few feet down. The man settled the briefcase comfortably into his lap, holding it tightly.

Only once they had driven off out of sight did Five feel comfortable enough to move away from his hiding spot.

It should have been senseless. Thousands of people walked around with briefcases in the city. There was no reason for him to get so worked up over seeing one.

However that particular briefcase had looked exactly like the one which had brought him here, and the way that man had carried it so preciously on his lap set alarm bells ringing in Five’s head.

It couldn’t be a coincidence.

When he entered the doughnut shop, it was much livelier than it had been last night. The air was filled with the buzz of conversation while people tucked into their coffees and snacks. All of the glass had been cleaned and the tables had been reset back to their original places.

If it wasn’t for the boarded window and the fact that he had been a participant, Five would never have known that this had been the stage for a bloody massacre.

He hopped up onto the counter, putting his hands up in front of him and waiting until the waitress - the same one from last night - left the customer she was serving.

“Hi, Agnes,” he said, giving her a friendly smile.

She returned it, before doing a double take in surprise. “Hi-oh! It’s you! From yesterday!”

“Yeah, it’s me. How are you doing? Okay after last night?”

“Well, as okay as I can be I guess,” she responded, giving him a wan smile. “I’m glad _you’re_ okay though. I was worried about you. The police didn’t say if they had found you or the men you were with…your dads?”

Five suppressed a snort. He was sure Diego and Klaus would have _loved_ to hear that. “My brothers. And yeah, we contacted the police today, gave our statements and everything.” Not a full lie, Diego had spoken to the police after all. “Sorry we didn’t stick around last night, just got kind of scared after all of it and took off.”

“Oh, I don’t blame you,” she said, waving away his concerns. “Just glad none of you were hurt. Now, what can I get you? On the house.”

“Thanks, that’s really nice of you. Could I get a black coffee? The one from last night was delicious,” he said, and she acquiesced and went to go brew him a cup. He knew that Pogo would be giving him a disapproving lecture right now if he knew he was having caffeine, but he felt like treating himself.

When she returned with his coffee, he thanked her before gulping down half the cup. She put the pot down, looking thoughtful.

“You know, I’m not sure if I should be telling you this, but there were some people in here just a few minutes ago asking about you.”

A thrill ran up his spine. He had been right.

“A man and a woman, they said they were hired by your family? They looked very professional, called themselves Hazel and Cha Cha. They asked me about you, and were interested in your tattoo,” Agnes explained. Her expression dropped into one of concern. “I hope that was okay, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything-”

“No it’s fine,” he said reassuringly. “I know them, you didn’t do anything wrong. They’re my…um, my case workers.”

Her relief was palpable. “Oh well, that’s good then. I’m glad you’re getting looked after, kid. You look like you need a bit of food in you. And I know it’s none of my business, but I would wait until you’re older to get another tattoo. No offense, but you seem a little young to have one.”

A swell of resentment against his father burst in him at her words. The vivid memory of the day he and his siblings were permanently marked was one that he tried not to think of too often. Hearing an adult confirm how fucked it was served as another reminder of his father’s cruelty.

Unconsciously he tugged his sleeve lower, covering the tattoo from sight.

“Thanks Agnes, I agree with you. I don’t think I’ll be getting another one anytime soon, if ever,” he said kindly. “And you don’t need to worry about me, I can take care of myself.”

She left him to enjoy his coffee while she attended to other customers, returning a few minutes later to give him a free doughnut, for which he was immensely grateful.

He nibbled at the doughnut slowly. It gave him plenty of time to think about this Hazel and Cha Cha.

Their presence only confirmed the fact that those gunmen hadn’t just been after the briefcase, they’d been after him too. He had a feeling that he wasn’t supposed to make it out alive yesterday.

If Agnes had told them about the tattoo, then it was only a matter of time before they traced him back to the Umbrella Academy. That would mean that his family was in danger. Danger he had brought with him when he’d traveled back in time.

The thought sickened him, and he felt himself spiraling into bleakness as he realized that despite this second chance he had been given, he was no closer to preventing the Apocalypse. In fact he had put his family even more at risk with this new threat. Protecting them from the Apocalypse would mean nothing if they were gunned down mercilessly in the crossfire.

Before his thoughts darkened even further he finished the rest of his meal and headed off, needing to distract himself from the impending thoughts of doom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sadly life just isn't that easy for Five. I just imagine Diego being more focused on saving Five from the guys with guns than worrying about the Apocalypse. It's reminiscent of his JFK obsession in Season 2. Klaus is still just living his high life. 
> 
> I'm a big fan of Patch and her total exasperation with Diego. Also Agnes will be featuring in some future chapters, as I just love the idea of her and kid Five having a little mini-friendship since he has fond memories of Griddy's.


	5. A dance with Hazel and Cha Cha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your lovely comments, they are so appreciated :)

When Five arrived at his destination, he could hear a violin playing as he walked down the hall to the apartment he was searching for, and when he reached the door he stood outside to listen for a few minutes.

The sound of Vanya’s playing sent his mind soaring back to the Academy, in the days when she had first picked up the violin and taught herself diligently how to play the simplest tunes. She had been shy in the beginning, refusing to let anyone hear or watch her playing. As time went on and her skills developed, she would occasionally open the door and the music would filter down the hallway for the rest of the family to hear.

She had improved remarkably since those months he had last heard her, and the beautiful music he was hearing now served as a bittersweet reminder that he had not been there to witness any of it.

He knocked on her door, listening to sound of the violin stuttering before coming to a stop.

“ _He’s not here, Mrs. Kowalski!”_

The violin restarted, and Five sighed and knocked again. He heard impatient footsteps approaching.

 _“_ Mr. Puddles isn’t here-” Vanya was saying as she opened the door, although her face morphed into one of surprise as she laid eyes on him. “Five, it’s you.”

“Hey, Vanya,” he said, giving her a small smile.

She stepped back, looking flustered. “I didn’t-um, I wasn’t expecting you. I went by the house this morning to talk to you but you weren’t there. Mom said you were with Diego and Klaus which was…unexpected?”

It wasn’t surprising she felt that way. Growing up Five had never been particularly close to either of them, especially Diego who he had considered to be an impulsive moron and who had butted heads with him countless times.

Seems like nothing had changed on that front.

“I was. Minor errand to run this morning and Diego has a car.”

Her movement left him with enough space to slide into her apartment, where he looked around curiously at the cream walls and furniture. Despite the light streaming in through the windows, the apartment was surprisingly dark and slightly drab.

She closed the door behind him and motioned for him to sit. He took the seat by the lamp, watching as Vanya slowly sat down on the couch, still staring at him with an air of disbelief. He hadn’t seen her for very long when he’d arrived, and it was hard to process that he was looking at her now, this grown up version of the Vanya he’d known at the Academy.

“How did you get my address?”

“Klaus gave it to me. Listen, I came to-”

“I’m sorry.”

He paused, confused. “About what?”

“About leaving. Yesterday, after the memorial I just kind of skipped out on you. I just couldn’t deal with being around the others, but I realized after I left that I hadn’t…that I should have stayed to talk to you,” Vanya said, looking shamefaced. “I haven’t seen you in so long. I really missed you.”

Five’s eyes stung, and he found himself having to look away from her and instead at the coffee table. The anger he had felt at her sudden departure vanished almost instantly. He was reminded of why she had always been his favorite.

“I missed you too. All of you,” he admitted. “You have to believe me when I say that I tried everything I could to get back to you.”

“I believe you,” she said reassuringly. “I kept hoping that you would return. I was worried.”

“I know, I read your book.”

Immediately her expression closed off, and her gaze fell down to her hands. “Oh. You read that too?”

“Yeah. The future and all that. It was good, though I can’t imagine it having gone down well with the others.” He didn’t tell her how it was his lifeline in the barren landscape, how on some days it was the only thing keeping him going. Reading about the lives of his siblings and the pain they had shared had given him a purpose, a reason to keep slogging through the worst days of the Apocalypse.

“They hate me,” she said mournfully. He shrugged.

“Well, from what I’m seeing, they don’t seem to like each other much either so really that just makes you a Hargreeves through and through.”

She snorted and that, and they shared a grin. For the first time since he’d arrived, it momentarily felt like he had never left.

Vanya stood up, moving towards her kitchen. “Do you want anything to drink? I have orange juice if you want some.”

“That would be good, thanks,” he said. When she set the glass in front of him, he decided to get to the point. He was on a deadline after all, and sentimentality would have it’s time and place once he’d prevented the Apocalypse. “Vanya, I came here because I felt like you would listen.”

She frowned at him, taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor.

“When I jumped forward and got stuck in the future, the world had ended. As far as I was aware, I was the last human alive.” He paused for a second, remembering the despair he had experienced so keenly in those first few days in the Apocalypse. “I never figured out what killed the human race, but I did find out the day it happens. Eight days from now the world ends, and I still don’t know why.”

He knew he was being blunt, and maybe that was the mistake he had made with Diego and Klaus, but how could you even begin to ease a person into the end of the world as they knew it?

A flurry of emotions crossed Vanya’s face, and she seemed to struggle to decide which ones to land on for several seconds.

She picked up her glass of water, before setting it back down on the table without having had a drink from it.

“Oh…” she said faintly, after several seconds, twisting her fingers and still looking unsure of herself. “I…um, wow, that’s…that’s a lot to take in.” She rubbed at her eyes, and when she dropped her hands Five could see a new expression settling onto her face.

 _Doubt._ He had seen it on the faces of both Diego and Klaus the previous night, once they had had the chance to process what he had told them.

His heart sank.

“You think I’m crazy.”

Before he could say anything, Vanya spoke:

“No! No, I don’t. I just…didn’t Dad always say that time travel could mess with your mind?”

Disappointment shot through him as he realized that she didn’t believe him. She thought he was insane, delusional from the time travel and dreaming of an Apocalypse that haunted his every waking moment.

It stung even more than last night when he had experienced the same rejection from Diego and Klaus, because out of all his siblings he would have counted on Vanya to have believed in him the most. Her disbelief only proved to him one thing: he could count only on himself to do what was right, and nobody else.

Before he could come up with a bitter remark that would surely widen the distance between them, a distance that he had never experienced before with Vanya, there was a knock on the door.

It startled Vanya, who seemed completely clueless as to who would be knocking on her door at this time. She excused herself to a silent Five, heading to the door and opening it.

“Can I help you?” she asked, flustered by the interruption.

Five couldn’t see the person at the door, however he could hear them clear as day.

“Hi, I’m Leonard. Your four o’ clock?”

Realization dawned on Vanya’s face. “Oh my god, I…” She looked back at Five, before turning to Leonard. “I’m so sorry, I completely forgot. Um, come in, come in.”

Leonard entered the apartment, and Five found himself staring down a somewhat smaller than average, dark-haired man with a cheery look on his face. He was looking curiously around the apartment although his back was turned to Five, and began taking off his jacket as he spoke:

“I’m guessing I look different…than your usual students.”

“Uh, yeah about 20 years or so different.”

He put the jacket on the couch, while Vanya closed the door behind him. Before either of them could continue, Five cleared his throat loudly. Both of them turned to look at him, somewhat startled by his presence, and he couldn’t help the buzz of annoyance at having been interrupted.

He was telling his sister about the end of the world as they knew it, and this dingus was here for a _goddamn_ violin lesson.

“Five! God, sorry, I completely forgot-I just, I have a lesson and it was a reflex to …” Vanya said, stumbling over her words. “Do you…did you want to continue? I can, maybe I can reschedule? If that’s okay with you Leonard?” She looked between the two of them, clearly unsure of who she wanted to potentially put out more.

Leonard’s face fell for a second, and Five thought he saw a momentary flash of anger however it disappeared so quickly that he must have been imagining it. He frowned, studying the man for a second and wondering if he was also imagining the distrust settling in his stomach.

The childish part of him wanted to insist on Vanya kicking Leonard out and letting Five stay, however he knew that he was just being punitive because she didn’t believe him. It was obvious that Vanya was still struggling to process what she’d been told, so this was his cue to leave and give her some time to think.

In truth, there wasn’t anything she could do to help him. Without the support of his siblings, they would only hinder him in his mission.

He stood up, finishing his glass of orange juice before placing the glass down and sticking his hands into his pockets.

“It’s fine Vanya, I need to head back anyway,” he said, shooting her a somewhat forced smile. He didn’t want to hurt her, because he knew she only meant well. “I’ll see you at the Academy?”

She nodded, looking hesitant and like she wanted to insist that he stay, however he was already making his way to the door.

“Academy?” Leonard repeated, before his eyes brightened considerably. “Oh! You-you’re one of those Umbrella Academy kids! Number…um, Number Five right?”

A trickle of suspicion crept through Five at Leonard’s voice and it’s tone of false astonishment. There was something in the way he said it that made Five think that he really wasn’t as amazed as he was playing himself out to be.

“But you weren’t in that, were you?” Leonard turned to Vanya, who’s face fell. Five bristled at the implication.

“No, I uh-”

“She was,” Five said, his voice firm. The other two looked at him, Vanya’s face slack with surprise. “She was in the Academy same as the rest of us.” He reached for the door and opened it, giving Vanya a quick nod and Leonard one last lingering look. “I’ll see you around Vanya. Think about what I said, okay?”

“Okay Five, I’ll see you at the Academy. Just…stay safe, please?”

“I will.”

He closed the door behind him so that Vanya wouldn’t need to, and headed down the hall to the front door. As he exited on the street, he turned down the road which would lead him straight back to the Academy.

A small part of him wondered whether he should have left Vanya behind with that new student Leonard. Despite every step farther away from the apartment he still couldn’t shake that sliver of suspicion which had coiled around him the moment the man had mentioned the Umbrella Academy.

It had seemed disingenuous and false, and the way he had looked at Five had been inexplicable.

Once Five saved them all from the Apocalypse, he would take it upon himself to do a little light digging into Leonard and his past. For now it would need to take a backseat to his other priorities.

* * *

He arrived back at the mansion that evening, prepared to walk into a silent house where he could easily creep back into his room without being noticed.

Immediately upon entering however, he was hit with an onslaught of noise and angry yells emanating from the living room, most of which he recognized as coming from Luther and Diego. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes, wondering what they had gotten into this time.

At least that hadn’t changed since he’d left.

He walked into a scene of chaos, in time to see Diego’s fist aiming for Luther’s face and barely missing. Klaus was leaning back against one of the couches watching in amusement and eating a packet of chips, while Allison had her arms crossed and was clearly unimpressed by their brother’s antics.

“Five, you’re back!” Klaus said through a mouthful of food, alerting the others to his presence. Diego and Luther lowered their fists, although they gave each other a wide berth as they settled back down. “Just in time to watch the video of dear old dad’s death.”

“The what?”

“Where the hell have you been?” Diego snapped, looking pissed off. “That was a dirty trick you pulled in the car earlier. Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to jump out of a moving car?”

“They did, but I never listened,” he said lightly. “I went to see Vanya.”

“How is she?” Allison asked, uncrossing her arms. There was a trace of uneasiness on her face as she spoke, which was unlike the Allison he knew. “She came here looking for you this morning, actually, so I’m glad you caught up with her. Was she okay?”

“Yeah, she was fine. Why?”

“Oh, we got into it earlier, I said some things…” she said vaguely. “Don’t worry about it, I was hoping to catch her tomorrow to clear things up.” He nodded, not highly concerned about what personal issues they might be having with each other.

“What’s going on here then?” he asked, gesturing towards the TV. “There’s a video of dad kicking it?”

Luther made a noise at his crude language, but Diego beat him to it.

“Don’t bother, it shows us nothing. Dad dies and Mom takes his monocle to get it cleaned or something, which to Luther apparently means that she _murdered_ him in cold blood.”

“I didn’t think that anymore after you pointed it out!” Luther retorted. “This could have been avoided if you hadn’t thrown the monocle away.”

Five started up the tape, watching impassively as their father on screen struggled in his last few moments before going still, while Grace seemingly ignored him.

On the day he had jumped forward in time, for those few moments before landing in the Apocalypse, he had felt an addictive sense of superiority to Reginald Hargreeves. He had wanted to shove it in the old man’s face and show him just how little Reginald knew about Five, about how the only thing that had ever been holding him back was the old man and his senseless rules.

Then it had all crashed down around him, and he had spent every day after that replaying that scene over in his mind, wishing that he had taken their father’s words to heart.

Watching him die made him feel neither sad nor triumphant. It only hammered home to him that the one other person in this family who could have actually given him any intellectual advice was dead.

“Oh please, I knew that that if you found it on Mom you’d lose your shit-”

“She just leaves him there,” Five commented, interrupting the growing argument. The others looked at him questioningly however he was too busy staring at the screen. “Look, she doesn’t even pause to check he’s okay.”

“Yeah, we saw that,” Diego said irritably. “It doesn’t mean anything-”

“It means _everything_. Dad designed Mom to be a caretaker and a protector, which means that she is literally programmed to intervene if someone’s life is in jeopardy.” He reached forward to touch the screen, and watched as Grace simply leaves the room while their father lays motionless on his deathbed.

“Well, what does _that_ mean then?”

“It means her hardware is degrading,” Luther said slowly, his expression disturbed. “It means we need to turn her off.”

The sound of guns cocking in the living room entryway interrupted whatever implosion Diego was about to experience, and they all turned as one towards the source of the noise. 

Five’s blood froze at the sight of the two masked figures: a manically grinning blue bear and a beady eyed pink dog, both wearing suits and pointing their rifles at the Hargreeves.

Even without seeing their faces he knew instantly who they were.

Hazel and Cha Cha.

“ _Duck!_ ” he screamed, launching himself towards Klaus and tackling him over the couch just as the gunfire started. Klaus fell shrieking, body flying backwards and arms lifting to protect himself. 

Glass sprayed across the room and the screams of his siblings followed, a sound that filled him with heart stopping terror. But he didn’t have the luxury of checking if they were okay.

As the pink dog began side stepping towards them, he heaved a stunned Klaus to the side and teleported them away without much thought as to where he wanted to go – it just had to be away from here.

They landed in a heap on the kitchen table, cutlery and plates breaking underneath them and shattering upon impact.

Grace, who had been in the middle of setting the table, paused at the sight of them.

“Hello, boys. Ready for dinner?” she asked, smiling pleasantly.

Five ignored her and rolled off the table, glass and porcelain sliding off the edge and clattering onto the floor. Klaus did the same, face slack with shock and fear as the sound of gunshots continued above them.

“Who the hell are those guys?”

“Stay here,” Five ordered, lifting his hands ready to jump back into the fray, however Klaus grabbed him before he could move.

“Five, what-you can’t go back there!” he cried, his grip like a vice on Five’s arm. “Are you crazy? They’re after _you_ and they have guns, you’ll be killed-”

“I’ll be fine!”

“At least let me go with you-”

“ _No!_ ” Five yelled, wrenching out of Klaus’ grasp. “Stay here! You have to stay here!”

Then he wasted no time in teleporting back, Klaus’ terrified face still vivid in his mind.

He had at least a sliver of hope that the others could take care of themselves, could easily survive in the face of danger with the years of training from their father. But Klaus? The Klaus he had known was easily distracted and utterly useless in a fight. From what he had seen so far, Five couldn’t imagine this Klaus being much better.

He landed behind the bar and peeked his head out, allowing himself only a millisecond to take in the scene – Hazel and Cha Cha were still firing bullets ahead of them, walking leisurely around the room. To his immense relief, he could see Allison covering her head and crouching behind a column while he was pretty sure he could see Diego’s foot tucked behind one of the couches.

 _“Five!_ ”

He startled, realizing that Luther was actually kneeling down on the other side of the bar looked alarmed.

“ _Who the hell are these people_?” Luther mouthed, and Five shook his head.

He had no idea how to even begin explaining what he didn’t know through the cacophony of noise ringing across the room. Instead he reached down to find a large piece of glass that could fit comfortably in his hand, and looked back around the bar to surmise where the attackers were.

“Hey Five! Come on out, we just wanna talk!”

The woman’s voice rang out loud and clear despite the spray of bullets, and he realized that it was coming from the pink dog. Now whether that was Hazel or Cha Cha, he had no idea.

“Talk, my ass,” he muttered.

Two knives suddenly flew across the room, clanging against the masks hard enough that both attackers jerked back, their bullets tearing holes in the ceiling.

Five saw his chance and blinked forward until he was close enough to stab one in the arm. The glass slipped in his grip and nearly sliced his hand, but it was enough for the grinning blue bear to drop his gun. Five jumped back out of reach before he could retaliate, almost directly into the path of the pink dog.

Luther had taken the opportunity to pick up the nearest table and launch it towards the other attacker, sending her crashing back into the floor in a heap. She recovered nearly instantly, lifting her gun only to have Allison kick it out of her grasp. They began to spar, with Diego joining in and ducking below a punch in order to elbow her in the sternum.

Blue bear jumped forward and grabbed Luther around the waist, lifting him up and slamming him into the ground with such unbelievable strength that Five had to pause.

The man kicked Luther back into the grand entryway with ease and ran forward to tackle him again.

The distraction cost him, and something snagged on his collar and he was wrenched back violently, his head cracking against the wall. Stars burst in front of his eyes and he reached up to grasp at the hand gripping his throat and cutting off his breath.

“Who the hell are you people?” The pink dog hissed furiously, her nails digging into his neck.

“I could…ask you the…same thing,” he ground out, lungs screaming for air.

“ _Let. Him. Go!_ ” Diego snarled, launching himself onto the woman’s back and ripping the mask backwards until she released Five, who fell ungracefully to the floor gasping for breath. He would only be a distraction if he lay there injured, and so he teleported behind a couch waiting until the darkness at the edges of his vision receded.

The sounds of gunshots sent him flying back to the ground and taking cover, and he watched as Diego and Allison darted out of the room, followed by the pink dog attacker until they disappeared out of sight.

He pulled himself up on shaky legs, feeling weak and dizzy. The altercation from the previous night had already stretched him to his limits and he had barely had time to recover. Now he simply found himself fighting not to pass out from exhaustion and breathlessness.

He sprawled onto the couch, glass digging into his skin, watching as Luther and the blue bear fought with everything they had until Luther was finally overpowered. The blue bear slammed him into the ground, leaving him dazed and clutching his head.

The man adjusted his tie before looking around and spotting Five in the living room. He made his way over, swinging the mace he was holding in a unhurried manner as he watched Five struggling to sit up and move away.

Five pulled together his remaining energy, willing himself to jump with everything he had. The blue in his hands fizzled out almost instantly and he was left panting, unable to do anything except glare at the man as he loomed over him.

“Which one are you?” he asked, the slight shake in his voice betraying the fear he felt trickling through him. The face of the grinning blue bear stood over him, both impassive and manic. “Hazel or Cha Cha?”

The man paused. “You know our names?” The voice was muffled by the mask.

“Answer the damn question.”

“I’m Hazel. My partner is Cha Cha, and you’re coming with us.”

Behind him, Five watched as Diego and Allison rushed through the entryway and gathered on either side of Luther to help him to a standing position – neither of them noticing Five’s predicament as their backs were to him.

Hazel turned to look behind him as well, and Five watched in horror as the chandelier above them creaked and fell, landing on top of Luther and crushing him beneath as he threw the others out of harm’s way.

“ _Luther_!” Allison screamed, her voice high with terror.

“Well,” Hazel said, turning back to Five. “That takes care of that.” He reached down to grab Five’s arm before stopping, his hands traveling down to something lying beside him.

It was the glass eye, buried against his side and the pillow and half covered by his blazer.

Five froze, before scrambling to grab it from Hazel, but the man was too quick. He snatched it up and held it close to him, studying it with curiosity.

“What’s this?”

“Give that back!” Five growled, reaching for it however Hazel simply slid it in his pocket. He wrapped an arm around Five’s waist, hauling him over his shoulder in one swift move. Five writhed and kicked, hating the feeling of helplessness. “Give me back the eye, asshole!”

Hazel ignored him, turning and heading towards the stairs carrying Five as easily as he would a feather. The realization that he was about to be kidnapped gave Five a final burst of adrenaline. He ripped through space and went sprawling forward out of Hazel’s grasp and back onto the couch, which seemed to be the furthest he could manage.

He groaned in frustration at his uselessness. He’d bought himself about two seconds of relief.

Hazel was looking around frantically. “What the hell-”

“Hey, creepy blue mask freak…whatever guy!”

They turned to stare, and Five caught sight of Klaus standing at the door to the living room holding either Hazel or Cha Cha’s rifle and pointing it in their direction.

Five rolled himself off the couch and crawled behind it right when Klaus shot a volley of bullets across the room in a frenzy. He was cheering as he did so, and Five watched as Hazel dove for cover and disappeared behind the wall. The thump of heavy footsteps faded out eventually and he knew that they were gone for now.

The bullets stopped, and after a few seconds he saw Klaus’ head pop out from behind the couch. The relief on his face as he spotted Five was tangible.

“Oh thank god, you’re okay,” he said, reaching out his hand for Five to take.

“Yeah,” Five said, groaning as he was pulled up to a standing position. His throat was zinging with pain as he spoke. “Thanks for saving me back there, that was pretty badass.”

Klaus lit up at the praise. “Any time, little Fivey. And that _was_ badass, wasn’t it?” He gingerly set the rifle down onto the floor, letting go of it as if it were scalding hot and stepping back. “Where are the others?”

Five’s eyes widened. “Shit, Luther!”

He ran past Klaus and into the entryway, however there was no one under the chandelier anymore. It had been pushed to the side and he could see Luther’s shredded trench coat tangled around it but no Luther. Both Diego and Allison were simply standing there with twin looks of shock plastered on their faces.

A quick once over was enough to tell him that neither of them were badly injured, so he relaxed slightly. 

“What happened here?” Klaus asked, strolling in behind him and looking curiously at the scene. “Where’s Luther?”

“Luther…he…” Allison began, before trailing off. “He went upstairs. He’s fine, he’s not hurt.”

“You guys okay?” Diego interrupted, looking Five up and down .

He knew that he looked a mess, but other than a few scratches from the shattered glass and a bruised neck he was relatively unscathed. In fact both Diego and Allison both looked worse off, with cuts on their faces and a growing discoloration on the underside of Diego’s jaw.

“We’re fine,” Five said dismissively. “But Hazel – the one in the blue mask – he took the eye.”

“Took the-wait, what eye?” Allison asked, looking confused.

“Enough with the damn eye, Five!” Diego snapped. “You literally have… _assassins_ or something trying to murder you daily, and you’re thinking about some glass eye? Doesn’t it _bother_ you that there are literally people who want to murder you?”

“Wh-daily? You mean this has happened before?”

“Yeah, at Griddy’s,” Klaus said with mild amusement. “Little Fivey here’s brought quite a bit of excitement to our lives since arriving. Although sorry, Five, kind of have to agree with Diego here. I’m thinking murder-y gun toting assassins probably rank higher on my worry scale than the eye.”

Allison was completely lost, eyes darting between the three of them looking for an explanation however none was forthcoming.

Five simply stared down at the chandelier, his mind racing as he replayed the scene of Hazel reaching down to grab the eye and pull it out of his grasp.

Why hadn’t he reached out and taken the eye back? Why hadn’t he thrown everything he had into ripping it out of Hazel’s grasp and launching himself as far as he could away? _Why?_

He breathed in deeply, trying to calm the rising panic in in his chest and focus on the logic.

It was just an eye. Hazel and Cha Cha had no idea of knowing what it meant to him, what it meant to the fate of the universe. For all Hazel knew, Five himself could be the owner of the eye.

He ignored the questioning gazes of his siblings and looked around the room.

“I’ll need to go to Meritech tomorrow. In the meantime we should clean this up.”

Diego threw his hands up in the air in exasperation before storming off, grumbling under his breath about ‘stubborn brats’, while Allison and Klaus simply shrugged and went off to find brooms to help sweep up the broken glass.

Five paid them no mind, unable to stop himself from thinking about how he was another day down and still no closer to reaching his goal. He hoped that tomorrow would be less of a disappointment than today was, and that it would give him the answers he needed to start piecing together the puzzle of the Apocalypse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter Leonard, and Five being annoyed by his very existence. 
> 
> So in this version of events Klaus never travels back to Vietnam. I really wanted to keep the focus of this fic solely on the Hargreeves family, and have them develop as characters mainly from their interactions with each other and with young Five. Because of that I felt it fit more in the story having Klaus never leave this timeline. I have other plans for him in the future.


	6. The drunk and lonely traveler

Breakfast the next morning had been a quiet affair, with only four of the Hargreeves siblings attending while their mother cooked them a hearty breakfast. Grace had served them all a stack of pancakes except for Five, who was given a large and healthy plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes on brown bread and a glass of diluted orange juice. 

Diego had been overly demonstrative in praising their mother in front of everyone, remembering their discussion before Hazel and Cha Cha’s arrival. He glared at them all to follow his lead.

Like hell he would allow anyone to turn off their _mother._ Not on his watch.

He had grudgingly agreed to drive Five to Meritech upon Five’s insistence, and after Klaus had rightfully pointed out that they had no real leads on Hazel and Cha Cha. Klaus had also insisted on catching a ride with them, most likely to distract himself from his increasingly difficult bout of withdrawal.

Apparently he was still set on trying to conjure up their dead father, if only to tell him to go screw himself.

They left Allison at the house with a promise to keep her updated on what they found out. She was still dedicated to coaxing Luther out of his room where he had been cooped up since yesterday evening. Diego’s stilted explanation of what had happened the previous night had given Five and Klaus enough clues as to why their brother was absent this morning.

The thought of what Luther had been forced to transform into left a vile taste in Diego’s mouth. He wondered how much more Reginald Hargreeves could continue to inflict damage to his children even from beyond the grave.

They drove to Meritech, Klaus twitching and fiddling around in the front seat while Five was sitting quietly in the back and looked out the window. He had been pretty silent this morning, his mind clearly still focused on the stolen eye.

“You know, I have better things to do than be your chauffeur,” Diego finally said, looking at him in the rearview mirror.

“Clearly not, otherwise you’d be doing those things right now,” Five responded, although his tone was less biting than his words. Diego had a feeling that Five was actually grateful to his brother for giving him the rides he had been demanding so rudely.

As much as Five would have hated to admit it, he was reliant on Diego right now. He didn’t have a license and there was a limit to how much long distance teleportation he could do. Especially after last night, it was clear to everyone that his powers were still limited due to his physical condition and he seemed inclined to conserve them as much as possible.

“Oooh, he’s got you there Diego. What do you even do most days? Aside from breaking into people’s houses like a rapist.”

“Klaus, goddamnit, I swear I’m going to kick you out if you say another word.”

Klaus simply laughed, lighting up a cigarette despite his brother’s furious stare as they turned the corner to the Meritech building.

The car stuttered to a stop.

“Holy shit.”

Cars were honking behind them, however Diego ignored them as he caught sight of what had once been the Meritech building.

Now it was a burning wreckage, the entire structure blackened from fire and smoke still pouring out of the blown windows. It was surrounded by police cars and firetrucks, first responders milling around the site as they worked around the building.

“No,” Five said behind them, his voice tight with anguish. “No, no, no, _no!_ ”

He ignored the others calling his name and ripped open the door to the still moving car. Diego swore and screeched to a stop as Five jumped out. Five raced to the smoking site, dodging Detective Patch as she caught sight of him and tried to stop him.

Diego parked the car haphazardly on the street. He and Klaus stepped out and ran down to where Five stood at the steps of the entrance.

He was staring up at the wreckage, face filled with despair and completely unresponsive. Diego put a hand on his shoulder to shake him gently.

“Five, you okay?” Diego asked, keeping his voice subdued. “Talk to me, kid, you’re scaring me a little.”

Five said nothing, seemingly unwilling to tear his eyes away from the sight.

Patch appeared next to them. She glanced between them questioningly however Klaus simply shrugged, visibly at a loss.

“Sorry guys, you’ll have to move. It’s not safe here.”

When none of them reacted, she reached an arm around Five so she could lightly steer him away.

Five allowed himself to be silently led from the building while Klaus and Diego followed. They were led back to where Diego had parked his car on the street, carefully avoiding the groups of first responders still working to secure the area. 

Once they were finally a few feet away from the car, Eudora spoke.

“Diego, is this the brother you were talking about? Five?” she asked him, keeping the hand on Five’s back. “What’s wrong with him?”

There were so many answers to that question, and many of them Diego barely even understood himself. 

“Yeah, it’s him. Hard to explain. What the hell happened here?”

“Place got burned down last night, looks like arson,” she said, her voice clipped. She was always guarded when he asked anything about her work nowadays, a new facet of their relationship that he found frustrating. “You know, I still need his witness statement for the attack at Griddy’s.”

Diego looked down at Five questioningly, before shaking his head. His eyes were still locked onto the building and he was undoubtedly far away from what was happening.

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s gonna happen. He’s in a bit of shock so I think we need to just get him home. I’ll bring him to the station tomorrow.”

Five left his side and walked to the car door, slow and dazed. He climbed back into the backseat of the car, while Klaus did the same in the front seat. 

He watched as Patch studied Five critically. She looked less than pleased with what she was seeing.

“Well, the waitress wasn’t lying about the state of him. Christ, Diego, what are you guys feeding him? You’d better have a good explanation for why he’s looking so unhealthy, because you know I can’t turn a blind eye-”

“That’s not _my_ damn fault,” Diego interrupted, offended by her accusations. “We’ve only had him back for like three days, what do you even take me for? You think I would have let him get this way if I’d been around?”

He knew he was a man of many faults, of which Patch had intimate knowledge, but he took care of his siblings when they needed him most. He had done it with Klaus until he could do it no more, and he was doing it with Five now despite his brother’s stubborn lack of self-preservation.

Patch had the sense to look contrite. She sighed and put her hands on her hips, looking back at Meritech as it stood there smoking.

“You’re right, sorry. I didn’t mean to…I wasn’t accusing you of-”

“Whatever,” Diego said shortly. “Look, I just wanted to tell you that two more gunmen showed up at the house last night. Didn’t catch their faces, but it was a man and a woman wearing suits and big blow up animal masks – a creepy ass grinning blue bear and a pink dog with floppy ears. Apparently they call themselves Hazel and Cha Cha.” 

Patch’s eyes widened in shock. “Wait, more attackers? Were they after Five?”

“Yeah. Apparently my brother’s made himself some enemies since he’s been gone. Not that he seems to care much,” Diego muttered, glancing back at the car.

Klaus was chatting away to Five and trying snap their brother out of his stupor, although he seemed to be the only one maintaining the conversation. When he looked back at Patch, she appeared disturbed by this new revelation.

“Anyway, just wanted you to know so you could be on the lookout for the new guys, although maybe I shouldn’t bother since apparently I’m doing a shit job taking care of him anyway,” he said, his voice tainted with resentment.

Patch sighed, rubbing at her forehead. “Diego, I didn’t mean-”

“Save it. I’ll see you some other time, _Detective_.”

With a sarcastic wave, he turned his back to her and climbed into the driver’s seat, slamming the door shut with unnecessary force. He felt like a surly child, needlessly hurt over some misspoken words but it was too late to take it back now.

Instead, he reversed out of his parking spot without a single look back. He waited until they were out of sight of Meritech before exhaling and forcing himself to calm down. As much as Patch’s words had stung, they had only spurred on his need to find their attackers and deal with the situation at hand.

Hazel and Cha Cha were out there somewhere, and Diego was going to find them.

He was so wrapped up in his furious thoughts that it took him a few seconds to realize that something was poking at his shoulder. He looked down to see Klaus jabbing him urgently.

“What?”

Klaus jerked his head towards the backseat, and Diego realized he had completely missed Five speaking.

“Sorry Five, what did you say?” he asked, glancing at the rearview mirror.

“Could you drop me off somewhere, please?” Five wasn’t looking at him as he spoke. Instead he was staring down at his hands with an unreadable look on his face. The distant yet deliberate politeness made Diego raise his eyebrows. He could see that Klaus looked concerned by this shift in tone as well.

Five was never this polite, not to his siblings at least, except maybe with Vanya.

He cleared his throat, not wanting to disappoint his already despondent brother, and nodded.

“Yeah, uh, sure thing buddy. Where to?”

* * *

Neither Diego nor Klaus had questioned why Five wanted to go to a department store after his breakdown in front of Meritech. He knew that he had scared them. As much as he had tried to force himself to act normal, he couldn’t help the immobilizing terror which had kept his eyes rooted on the building.

The only lead he had on how to stop the Apocalypse was gone.

Any records completely burned to a crisp and his chance of finding out who the owner of the eye was, gone in a puff of smoke.

He knew without a doubt that Hazel and Cha Cha must have done this. They had made the connection between the eye and Meritech, and had acted accordingly.

It meant that their mission wasn’t only to capture Five, it was to stop him entirely.

It had left him feeling raw with misery and unable to cope, so he had withdrawn into himself, thinking desolately about how he had failed in his mission.

He had stood at the steps of Meritech. The burning building was so reminiscent of the burning apocalyptic landscape that for several moments he was back there in both mind and body. He had been utterly alone and trapped, standing in a world too small and too big for him while he stared at the surrounding wreckage.

Now he stood in the middle of Gimbel Brothers department store, at the foot of the mannequin display staring at another reminder of the Apocalypse.

Dolores.

She stood there, posing in a polka dot blouse with a yellow hat and skirt and looking as wonderful as she had the day that he had found her.

He gazed up at her sadly, ignoring the people who were milling around the store and the curious glances he was getting. At this moment he could see only himself and Dolores, making their way through the desert ruins of the Earth.

“Hey Dolores,” he greeted softly. “You look good.”

She said nothing. With a sigh he remembered that she had been shy when they had first met. She hadn’t said a word to him until a week after he had found her. They had still been strangers then, not yet the kindred spirits and dearest friends they had so easily found themselves to be.

They were strangers now.

“It’s okay, you don’t know me yet but I know you. I don’t expect you to say anything, but I…well, I needed to talk to someone who would understand. Because I’ve got nowhere else to turn.”

He blinked back a stinging sensation in his eyes, biting down on his lip.

“I couldn’t…I’m stuck, Dolores. I got this second chance to save the world, to save my family, and I screwed it all up. I wasn’t good enough.”

Still nothing, but he was expecting that.

“I’ve failed them. I failed you,” he said, clenching his eyes shut as he remembered where he had left her. In the future, sitting in their wagon and waiting for him outside the bunker. “I’m sorry, Dolores. I guess I just wanted to tell you that now while I still had the chance. You know, since the world is ending and all that.”

He stopped then. He had nothing more to say. There weren’t any words to convey the hopelessness he felt right now.

For a moment he pondered whether he should take her with him. She had given him comfort in his most desolate moments and he needed that right now.

As he watched her standing there amongst her friends however, he decided against it.

She deserved better than someone who would leave her behind the way Five had done.

He left the department store, leaving out the other exit so as not to pass Diego and Klaus. He walked until he found himself at a fancy wine store. As he wandered down the rows of dark bottles and avoided the suspicious gaze of the manager, he decided that he may as well get drunk.

It wasn’t like he had anything better to do. 

He swiped a bottle of expensive wine and teleported back to Diego’s car, where he knew that he would not be found for a little while. His brothers would undoubtedly scour the department store first once they realized he was missing. Only when they couldn’t find him would they think to return to the car.

He was correct in his assumption.

By the time Diego and Klaus were climbing back into the car, he had drunk every last drop of wine in slightly less than an hour and was sprawled across the backseat with the bottle hanging from his fingertips. Visions of fire, which had been burning across his mind for the past half hour, subsided with their appearance.

“What. The. _Hell._ Five,” Diego hissed, each word punctuated with outrage. “We just spent _ages_ searching for you across the goddamn department store. We thought you’d been kidnapped by Hazel and Cha Cha!”

“Yeah, Fivey,” Klaus said. “Not cool, man. And are you _drunk_?” He sounded more amused by this than anything.

“As a skunk,” Five slurred, grinning up at his brothers. They looked strange with their faces sideways. It was making him feel both giggly and sick. “I should really…do this more often. I feel _much_ better now.”

Diego grabbed the bottle from his hand, eyes widening as he realized it was completely empty. “What the hell? Did you drink the whole bottle? You’re fourteen years old, dumbass, do you _want_ alcohol poisoning?”

Five waved him off, feeling his stomach lurch. Diego shoved the bottle into Klaus’ hands and started the car. The movement made the wine slosh in his stomach and he gripped it tightly, willing himself not to throw up.

When the nausea finally cleared, he realized that they were on the road and Diego was grumbling at him as he drove:

“Fan-freaking-tastic. You’ve been drunk now, what, twice in the past two days?”

“Hey! I for one admire Five’s dedication to the art of alcoholism! And besides, it’s not like I wasn’t drinking at his age anyway,” Klaus said casually, reaching behind and cheerily patting Five’s head with his ‘Goodbye’ hand. Five squinted at him, the tattoo blurring in his vision.

“ _You_ are last person I would use as a good role model.”

“I’m a _fantastic_ role model-”

“What the hell are you even drunk for?” Diego demanded, directing his annoyance back to Five. “Are you even wearing a seatbelt? Klaus, make him put his seatbelt on.”

Klaus reached behind to snag the seatbelt, struggling to get Five sitting up and buckling him in while Five tried to slap his hands away.

“A seatbelt. Please. I don’t _need_ a seatbelt, asshole,” Five said rudely. “We’re all gonna die anyway. _Poof_! Like ants. I don’t think a seatbelt is gonna stop the Apocalypse, you imbe…you imbeci _-_ you _dolt_.”

“Jesus, this again. You’re obsessed, kid.”

“You’re not obsessed enough!” he snapped back, before crossing his arms sullenly. “Screw you guys. I should’ve used the briefcase when I had the chance.”

“Oh yeah? To do what?”

“To go back. I was…I was supposed to use it to go back to the day I left. After I’d stopped the Apocalypse. See you guys again and…and grow up with you guys,” Five said angrily, his voice tight. He scrubbed at his face with his hands and his fingers came away wet.

The other two were suspiciously silent, but he paid them no mind.

“I left you guys. I missed out on everything. I regretted it the moment I…the moment I realized I couldn’t come back. I was…did you guys even _miss me_?”

If he wasn’t so drunk, he would have been afraid of the answer, but the liquid had given him courage he hadn’t felt around his siblings since returning. They had been so familiar, yet so different to him that he had felt a distance between them he couldn’t bridge. 

“Aw, _Fivey¸_ of course we missed you!” Klaus said, reaching back once again eagerly to comfort him. This time however, he chose to gently brush his fingers through Five’s hair. The soothing touch was unfamiliar. It was something he had never felt from anyone except Grace when he had allowed her to be motherly with him. He leaned into it willingly, which delighted his brother. “We all missed you, even crabby ol’ Diego here.”

Diego grunted in assent, looking slightly uncomfortable by the display of affection, however his eyes kept flickering back to the rearview mirror as he drove.

“Luther missed you, Vanya missed you, Ben misses you too - he even says so himself!”

“W-wait, Ben’s here?” Five asked, his eyes widening. “You can see him? Is- _where is he_?”

Klaus faltered, looking stunned by his reaction. His eyes were darting between Five and the empty seat next to him. Five immediately knew that he was looking at Ben.

“You believe me?” Klaus asked slowly, doubtfully.

“Can he hear me?”

“He…yeah, he can hear you buddy. He says hi.”

Diego’s hands tightened on the wheel and he muttered to Klaus: “Wait, you weren’t lying? We thought…we thought you were messing around. You said you couldn’t see ghosts when you were high.”

Klaus shook his head fervently. “Nah man, Ben’s been my number one stalker since the day he died. Can’t get rid of him, no matter how high I get.” Despite his words, a fond smile spread across his face as he looked back at Five.

“Hey, Ben,” Five said, staring at the seat where he imagined Ben’s face would be, with a seriousness that was undermined by his slurring voice. “I’m glad you’re here, even if it’s as a ghost. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

He reached out with his fingers, but there was nothing there. It didn’t disappoint him though. Despite everything, he knew with absolute certainty that Ben was there with them.

Klaus beamed at him. “He says it’s okay, buddy. He’s just happy you’re back safe.”

* * *

By the time they finally arrived to the Academy, any of the good feelings which had arisen during their journey had been marred by Five vomiting in Diego’s car. He had given little to no warning that he had felt sick. Diego had spent the rest of the time cursing him out for ruining his upholstery while Klaus had howled with laughter.

Five didn’t particularly care. His mind retreated back to its depressive state when he looked upon the Academy and was reminded that in a few days it would be completely razed to the ground. He remembered, with lurid intensity, kneeling in front of the door after desperately calling out for his family and hoping that it was all a temporary nightmare.

Despite his anger over the mess in his car, Diego was still fairly gentle when he lifted Five up and carried him into the Academy. It could have simply been him trying to avoid another vomiting incident however, since Five still was still clutching at his stomach queasily.

In any case Five was grateful for it. He was now fully feeling the effects of the bottle of wine and his vision was tilting dangerously to the side.

They found the rest of their siblings in the living room. Luther and Alison were seated while Vanya stood a few feet away, hands at her sides twitching nervously.

The three of them expressed varying degrees of concern as Diego deposited Five onto the couch, getting up from where they were to crowd around him.

“Where were you guys? We’ve been trying to get a hold of you. And what’s wrong with Five?” Luther asked, glancing between the three of them suspiciously. He was fully covered up in his trench coat. All traces of the previous night had vanished from his demeanor, along with a plainly renewed determination to pretend it had never happened.

“Well, little Fivey here decided to go on a bender since the Meritech building went up in flames,” Klaus said, lighting up a cigarette and leaning back against one of the columns. “For once I might not be the most inebriated person in the family.”

Diego sat on the other end of the couch, slapping a hand on Five’s knee and grinning when Five glared at him. He would make Diego pay for that later. “He’ll be fine, just needs some water and a cold shower.”

“You feeling okay, Five?” Allison asked, looking concerned. He gave her a thumbs up. It was clearly not the reaction she was expected as she simply looked perturbed.

Vanya had approached, frowning as she took a closer look at Five. He could feel her gaze raking over him, landing on the bruises around his neck. They had darkened slightly overnight, however he had expected much worse considering what he had been through to get them.

“Jesus, Five, what happened to your neck? You look like you’ve been strangled.”

“Oh yeah, the crazy guys from last night did that when they attacked us,” Klaus said, which Five was grateful for because he could barely string two words together. “Right before I machine gunned them the hell out of here.”

“That was badass,” Five said, grinning madly.

“Hell yeah it was!”

“Wait, what? Last night? What are you talking about?” Vanya looked completely lost, although realization began to dawn on her face as she glanced around the house.

Grace had been up all night patching things up as much as possible, to the point that the damage was barely noticeable at first glance. However if you knew what had happened you easily could find clues. Bullet holes in the walls, missing pieces and cracked furniture were prevalent in the room.

“Two people in masks shot up the Academy last night,” Allison said. “They were here to kill Five, at least according to Diego. Apparently it happened the other night at Griddy’s as well, though Five here has no clue why they’re after him.

“What? Why did nobody call me to tell me?” Vanya said, looking dismayed.

Diego made a derisive noise. “Oh? And what would you have done? They had _guns_ , Vanya, you would have been pretty useless against them.”

“I think I deserve to know if someone is trying to kill my brother!”

“Well now you know,” Diego snapped. “If we can move on-”

“It doesn’t even matter,” Five said loudly, his voice cutting through the argument and silencing them instantly. “The Apocalypse is coming, and we’re all dead come April. They’ve won. Whoever they are. They’ve won and we’re dead, no matter what.”

All of them turned to stare at him with varying looks of incredulity, however Five was too tired to even care. What did it matter if they all knew, since he had failed? Maybe if they knew that death was coming their way, they could spend more time together as a family.

He could die with his brothers and sisters at his side, the way it was supposed to be.

He guessed that didn’t sound too bad.

After several seconds of tense silence, Luther finally spoke:

“Wait, what is this about an Apocalypse?”

Diego sighed loudly, looking like he wanted nothing more than to get up and leave. “Yeah, uh, Five thinks that the Apocalypse is going to happen in six days or something. He says that’s where he was when he was in the future and apparently that’s why we needed to go to Meritech, but it got burned down last night.” His voice was clipped with impatience as he spoke.

Five narrowed his eyes at him. “That was the crappiest explanation you could have given, ever.”

“Wait, is he serious?” Allison piped up, torn between disbelief and worry. “We’re all…we’re all going to die in what, _six days_?”

“Supposedly, but he doesn’t know what causes it or why it happens, so _excuse me_ if I’m a little bit skeptical.”

Luther however looked thoughtful. He scratched at his stubble and gazing up at the portrait of Five.

“Well, if there’s an Apocalypse happening…do you think maybe Dad knew about it? It just seems like a huge coincidence that he would die a week before the world ends. Maybe he knew something, and he was murdered for it?”

Five gaped at Luther in drunken shock. He was unable to reconcile the fact that out of all of his siblings, it was _Luther_ who actually believed him. Sure, it was done in a convoluted manner which served Luther’s obsessive interest in their father’s death, but it was still better than the outright doubt that the others had shown.

Klaus however, let out a loud and dramatic sigh.

“Jesus, again with the murder - first it was mom, now it’s the Apocalypse. What’s next, the Pope killed dad?”

The expected defensiveness never arrived. Instead Luther, Vanya and Allison glanced at each other sheepishly before looking down at their hands. The room descended into a tense pause and the three siblings left out of the loop all straightened with suspicion.

The awkwardness was palpable, until Diego lost patience. 

“What’s going on? Why do you guys look so freaked out?”

“Um, about Mom,” Luther began. Diego’s eyes immediately narrowed. He was bristling with anger, as if he knew what the others were about to say. “We thought we should talk more about what we were saying the other night, before we got interrupted. And we were thinking that…we should take a vote on it.”

“A vote on _what_?” Diego growled.

“On whether to turn her off,” Vanya said delicately.

They all jumped as Diego slammed his fists onto the table, rocketing out of his seat and staring at them with unabated fury. He held a knife in his hand, which he pointed at Luther as he spoke. 

“Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me!”

“Diego-”

“No! No! She’s not just some…vacuum cleaner we can switch off and throw in a closet. She’s our _Mom._ She feels things, I’ve seen it!”

“Look, I’m with Luther on this,” Allison said, her voice tinged with sadness. “If she’s degrading, then it’s just a matter of time before she loses all function.”

“So what, that means w-w-we just _kill her_?”

Vanya bit her lip. “Diego, l-look I just…I think…”

“Shut up, _you_ don’t get a vote.”

“Uh, excuse me? I’m a part of this family too,” she replied, slighted.

Diego barked out an unimpressed laugh, and slammed his knife into the table.

“Right! Yeah, I don’t think so, Vanya. You gave up being a part of this family the moment you wrote that goddamn book raking us all through the m-m-mud, okay? You don’t get to choose to be a part of this family only when it suits you, and frankly, you sit on the outside, so you _don’t get a vote!_ ”

Five watched as Vanya’s expression dropped. Silence descended upon all of them and her eyes became glassy with hurt as everyone looked away in discomfort. When they landed on Five, he opened his mouth, wanting to step in and defend her. Immediately he clamped it shut the moment bile rose in his throat.

He was too drunk for an argument, but his family apparently had a goal to have one daily it seemed.

She withdrew even further as he remained quiet, walking out without a word until they heard her slam the front door shut.

“Oh nice going, asshole,” Allison bit out.

“Diego, you dick,” Five muttered when he had finally swallowed down the dizzying nausea. “Grace is Vanya’s mom too. She gets a vote, no matter how much you want to be an ass about it.”

But Diego, stubborn as he was, refused to back down. “Oh yeah? And what’s your vote, Five?”

Five thought hard, trying to focus his mind on their mother and what he really believed would be best for her. He thought of her comforting touches and kind smiles, the way she had tucked them all into bed with a loving kiss and how she had cleaned up all of his scrapes after a mission and told him how proud she was of him.

He thought about how she would always compliment their father and follow his rules, how blank her expressions had been ever since he had returned from the Apocalypse, and how she had tried to stitch up his uninjured arm his first night back without a second thought.

He reached his final conclusion after several seconds of deep thought, and said solemnly:

“I’m way too drunk to vote right now.”

“This is bullshit. Screw all of you,” Diego ripped out his knife from where it was embedded and stormed off, ignoring the others’ calls for him to come back.

When the front door slammed shut, Klaus peeled himself off the column and yawned dramatically.

“Well, another successful Hargreeves meeting – one can only take so many healthy emotions flying around! So with that in mind I’m going to get high. I’ll just see you guys later.”

“Are you serious? What about summoning Dad?” Allison said indignantly.

“Yeah screw that, I’ve got nothing to say to that old bastard’s face. It’s not worth feeling like this.”

And then he was gone, and there were three of them left. Allison sighed, looked defeated as she sat on the couch and buried her face in her hands.

“Well…that went as well as expected for this family.”

Five groaned, the alcohol hitting him along with a wave of tiredness. He reached his arms up to Luther, beckoning him to come closer. The man did so, looking puzzled as Five grabbed the sleeve of his coat and pulled him in until he was only a foot away.

“God, Five, you smell like wine.” He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“Luther,” he said, ignoring his comment. “You need to…help me up. My legs feel fuzzy. I need to go to Dad’s office.”

“What? Why? We’re not allowed in there.”

“Jesus Christ, Luther, what’s he gonna do – scold me? I need…you were right. Maybe Dad knew something about the Apocalypse, something that could help me find out why it happens.”

Maybe it was the revelation of the end of the world, or the fact that Five had actually admitted that Luther might be right about something, but after a few moments’ hesitation Luther carefully wrapped a hand around his arm and helped him into an unsteady standing position.

Allison, who had been lost in thought, glanced up as they began making their way towards the stairs.

“Where are you going?”

“Dad’s office,” Five said. “You’re welcome to join. I need someone who doesn’t have double vision to help me.”

After a painstaking journey with Five wobbling his way up the stairs while Luther and Allison flanked him patiently, they found themselves in the office that had once been so forbidden to them. Five took pleasure in stepping into the room and basking in the feeling of insubordination.

Reginald would have hated them being in his office. _Well screw you, Dad_ , he thought hazily.

He stalked towards the desk, heavy handedly pulling out the drawers until they fell to the ground and rooting around their late father’s books and notes. Swaying heavily, he accidentally swept numerous artefacts onto the floor in a heap. They crashed and clanked against the floorboards.

Luther jumped forward, trying to grab at the trinkets and stop them from falling. “Five, what the hell? What are you-these are Dad’s things! Have some respect!”

“Respect,” Five repeated scornfully. He flipped open a book and was disappointment to see it was just some old history book. “ _Resh-peck_. What a joke.” He tossed the book behind him, ducking under Luther’s arms as the man tried to grab him. “Luther, Dad never gave us any _resh-preck_ when he was alive, so why should we give him any _ret-shpleck_?”

“Five, how much did you drink?” Allison asked disapprovingly, although the corners of her mouth were twitching slightly.

“A wine of bottle. Now shut up and help me search.” He threw down another book which was completely useless to him. “Luther, you can choose not to help if you want, but when 1st April arrives and we all die you’re gonna feel _real_ stupid.”

Luther rolled his eyes, however he made his way to the bookshelf and began carefully pulling all of the books out and flicking through them. He winced occasionally whenever Five knocked something over.

Within ten minutes, Five was losing his temper. If he had known that the study was so _boring_ then he certainly would not have wasted anytime pondering its mystique back at the Academy. His eyes roamed the study, where Luther and Allison were both looking through the books on the shelf. Their father would have either kept the most important things on his person, in his desk or hidden away somewhere.

He caught sight the painting which overlooked the desk, one of Reginald looking down at the room with his trademark stern gaze, and reached up to rip it down and glare at it.

“What kind of self-absorbed asshole keeps a painting of himself in his study, huh?”

A sudden wave of tiredness hit him like a truck. If he didn’t get himself onto a horizontal surface soon he would pass out.

He headed over to the adjacent room, his eyes laser focused on the uncomfortable looking bench against the wall. He had no idea why his father would even have a bench here. He had allowed no one except Pogo and Grace into the room.

As he was a few feet away, his foot caught onto the edge of the rug and he tripped, yelping as his body banged onto the edge of the bench. The impact made him feel like his brain was lurching around in his skull.

Fuck, that was probably going to hurt tomorrow.

“Five! Are you okay?”

Allison and Luther rushed to his side, helping to pull him onto the bench until he was lying down. His arm dangled off the edge and brushed the floor. As they did so, he caught sight of something underneath the upturned corner of the rug.

He mumbled something, he wasn’t even sure what, and gestured towards it vaguely.

The last thing he saw before passing out were the two of them lifting up the rug to reveal a sort of trap door underneath, before his eyes slid shut and sleep took him completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Patch returns! Although Diego doesn't much like her insinuation that he's a bad brother. If you can't tell I'm a big Diego fan, so I love to write as many Diego & Five interactions as possible. 
> 
> I also couldn't resist Five getting a little bit of Ben time even though Klaus still can't conjure him. We will go back into Klaus' POV eventually to give Ben (and Klaus) some much deserved attention. 
> 
> Allison and Luther are also getting a bit more time with Five now, being the only two to actually believe Five about the Apocalypse - I'm excited to give them a bit more love. 
> 
> As always, thank you for your wonderful comments. They are such a pleasure to read <3
> 
> Also a bit of a teaser for next chapter: Shit hits the fan.


	7. The kid, the villain and the policewoman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the wonderful comments! Before I started writing this fic I had two very specific scenes in mind, one of which is at the end of this chapter. Also I <3 Grace and feel like there wasn't enough interaction between her and Five (as in literally none), so I've added it in myself. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Five had almost forgone breakfast that morning when he had woken up. Shockingly he wasn’t as hungover as he’d expected. He had a mild headache and dry mouth, as well as a white noise in his brain, however all of those were tolerable.

When he opened his eyes the ruins of Meritech were seared into his head, along with a reminder that he had nowhere else to turn to now that its records had been burned to the ground.

The only thing that forced him to get up was the fact that the bench he was lying on was horrendously uncomfortable against his bony shoulders and bruised skin. He reached up to rub at his dry eyes, glancing down in surprise when something slid off his shoulders.

He was wrapped up in a fleece blanket and lying on a pillow which definitely hadn’t been there when he’d fallen asleep.

The floor in front of him was a mess, some sort of trap door in the floorboards open and what looked like multiple white, unzipped cloth bags laying on the ground around him.

He wondered what that was about.

By the time he had made his way down to the kitchen after a shower and a change of uniform, he still felt about as disheartened as he did before, albeit cleaner and more refreshed. 

When he stumbled in, Grace was already cooking breakfast and humming a quiet tune to herself. Five paused when he saw her, the memory of last night’s conversation flooding back.

They had been voting on whether to turn her off.

“Oh, Five!” she said, lighting up when she saw him. “I didn’t see you there. Come take a seat, I made you breakfast already.”

He did as she directed, flopping down onto the chair and resting his forehead against the cold surface in an effort to soothe his dull headache. He felt her place his breakfast in front of him, before she reached down with warm hands to push his fringe back.

Her touch was warm and soothing. He didn’t flinch away like he usually might have.

She tutted disapprovingly.

“Allison mentioned that you had been drinking last night. It’s not good for you to drink alcohol, Five, you’re a growing boy. What you need is calcium, protein and iron-rich foods.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” he mumbled, too hungover to feel defensive. As he lifted his head, he suddenly remembered why he had been in Reginald’s office in the first place. “Mom, did Dad ever…mention anything about the Apocalypse? Like, did he know it was coming?”

Grace turned off the stove and carried the frying pan to the sink.

“I’m not sure what you mean. Your father was a good and a kind man. He was also a very intelligent man, and he-”

“Mom, please,” he interrupted, feeling as though he might vomit if he head any more compliments about Reginald Hargreeves. The desolation he had felt yesterday returned in full force as his mind began to clear, and memories of the previous day began filtering back in. “The Apocalypse is coming, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t have a _plan_.”

For a long moment, Grace said nothing, simply looking at him with a thoughtful contemplation. Finally she gave him a brilliant smile, leaning down to put a hand against his cheek with such tenderness that his breath hitched in his throat.

“Your father was very intelligent, but so are you. You’ve always been resourceful, Five,” she said encouragingly. “I know you’ll do just fine.”

The words made him feel surprisingly misty-eyed. He gave her a grateful smile in return, reaching out to grip her hand and squeeze it gently. She looked pleasantly surprise by this action, squeezing back before she turned back to the sink.

It was the first real physical contact he had initiated since arriving here.

Maybe it was because Grace, despite her slowly degrading software, was the one figure in this house who had changed the least.

Reaching out to his siblings, even drunk, had felt disconcerting. They were still his family, but there was a seventeen year old wall between him and them which spelled potential rejection at every turn.

Grace, on the other hand, was predictable and programmed to care for them.

He had never had delusions about the fact that she was entirely programmed by their father, and therefore he had never been as eager to casually embrace her as a mother figure in the same way Diego had. But still, she had provided the only source of parental love that he and his siblings had experienced.

That made her indispensable in his mind. He knows now that he would have voted against turning her off for his own selfish reasons.

He couldn’t bear to part with another piece of his childhood, not when he had already lost his only chance to return to it.

He made a start on his breakfast just as Allison entered the kitchen. She looked relieved at the sight of him, even as he greeted her with a mouthful of eggs. 

“Oh, you’re here. I went to Dad’s office to find you, but you were gone.”

“Yeah, I woke up a little while ago,” he said, reaching for a glass of juice. “Seems like the office had been torn apart from the ground up.”

Allison sighed, settling into the seat opposite.

“Yeah, about that…don’t know if anyone told you, but after Ben died the rest of us just kind of started to drift apart. Eventually we left one by one, except for Luther. He stayed behind and Dad sent him to the Moon.”

Five nearly choked on the juice he was drinking. “Sorry, what, the Moon? Luther was on the Moon?”

“Yup, for four years. He thought it was this super important mission, but turns out Dad never even opened any of the samples or the data he sent back. According to Pogo it was the equivalent of…well, busy work to give him a purpose.”

The cloth bags made sense now. Hundreds of samples sent, unopened and untouched. A complete waste of four years of a person’s life.

Sometimes Five felt that his ire against Reginald on behalf of his siblings could not be measured.

“Wow, just when you think Dad couldn’t be any more of an ass. How’s Luther doing?”

“Well, he about had an emotional breakdown as you might expect, and cried himself to sleep after a few hours,” she said tiredly, and for the first time that morning Five noticed the bags under her eyes. It comforted him to know that at least one of them had been conscious for Luther’s discovery. He imagined that his drunkenly asleep presence would have provided no comfort to his depressed brother. “That and with us finding out about his transformation…it’s been a rough few days for him.”

“I’ll say,” Five muttered. They sat in comfortable stillness for a few moments, something he had rarely experienced with Allison. “Thanks for the blanket by the way, that was very motherly of you. I’m guessing that having Claire has brought out that maternal instinct?”

She stared at him, shocked. “How do you know about Claire?”

“Vanya’s book. I had hoped-” he paused, catching himself slightly too late.

He had hoped to meet Claire, but that was impossible now. The pause that settled between them was tense and awkward, and Five shifted uncomfortably under Allison’s gaze.

“All that stuff yesterday, about what you were saying,” Allison began slowly, choosing her words with care. “Is there really going to be an Apocalypse in five days? Is that where you landed, when you went to the future?”

“Yeah, it was.”

She bit her lip.

“I thought so…Diego and Vanya seem to think that the time travel might have messed with your mind.” She didn’t seem to notice his flinch and continued. “I believe you though, and I think I might book a flight back home to be with Claire. If what you’re saying is true then I want to be with my daughter when the world ends.”

Five couldn’t hide his crushed expression and quickly ducked his head down to drink some more juice, the comfort from Grace’s words melting away almost immediately.

His visions of dying alongside brothers and sisters in a bittersweet ending – the only acceptable way to die for him if there was no chance of living – were completely destroyed by Allison’s words.

Unlike Five, the rest of his siblings had their own lives. Like Allison, maybe they would choose to spend their last days with people other than the family they hadn’t spoken to in years.

 _Well_ , he thought darkly _, at least I know that Luther has no one else._ The image of himself, small and stubborn, standing next to a hulking Luther facing the end of the world made him smile wanly.

“Hey,” Allison began, her voice suddenly lighter. “I was going to go and take Vanya out for a drink or something. To make up for not standing up for her last night. Do you want to join? We haven’t spent any time together since you got back, which feels kind of wrong.”

Five shrugged. He had nothing better to do, now that the Apocalypse was inevitable.

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

* * *

The drive to Vanya’s place had been one of the least fraught journeys he had experienced since arriving in this timeline. There were no smoking briefcases, drunken arguments or tense silences.

Instead Allison filled him in on the major events of his family’s life since he had left, about how Luther had traveled to the Moon which made him Claire’s firm favorite, how Diego had been the first to sneak out in the night and had since become a masked vigilante, how Klaus had dropped in and out of both contact and rehab, and how Vanya had joined an orchestra and written the book which had caused so much chaos in their lives.

Most of all she spoke about Claire.

Her smile, her laugh, her demands to hear an Umbrella Academy story almost every single night before going to bed. How she had often asked about Five’s whereabouts and her theories on where he might be.

Five’s favorite was her apparent conviction that he had travelled to “dinosaur times” and fought against velociraptors.

Despite the weight of the world’s end drawing closer, Five was grateful to have heard these tidbits, both good and bad, of the lives he had missed out on during his disappearance.

When they reached Vanya’s apartment, Allison produced a key to the familiar front door of the building that Five had teleported into only days ago.

Just as he closed the building front door behind him, Allison reached out to squeeze his shoulder.

“The door’s open,” she muttered, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. Five felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise and he slipped into the apartment before Allison could stop him.

From the corner of his eye Five caught sight of a figure moving across the doorway.

He motioned towards Allison and they each ducked into hiding places, her just behind the wall and him crouched under the table as they waited for the man to walk to the door.

Allison was first, turning quickly to knee the stranger in the leg and trip him up. As he fell to the ground and bounced up slightly, Five twisted a hand into his collar and draw back his fist ready to punch him in the face.

“Whoa, wait! Five!” the man spluttered, and immediately Five recognized him. “It-it’s me, Leonard!”

Five narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but he didn’t let go and in fact gripped even tighter. Allison put a hand on his wrist, although she didn’t pull him back.

“Wait, Five, you know this guy?”

“Yeah,” he said slowly, studying Leonard’s face. He looked winded and apprehensive, struggling with the awkward position Five was holding him in. “He’s one of Vanya’s violin students. I met him the other day.”

He let go reluctantly, refusing to take his gaze off of the man as he stood up and brushed himself off.

“Where is Vanya?” Allison asked, glancing around the apartment.

“She’s at rehearsal,” Leonard said, gesturing to the door and giving her a sheepish grin. “She left her keys at my place last night, so I was just returning them.”

“Your place?” Five interrupted rudely. The look that Leonard gave him was sharp and almost smug.

“Yeah, she uh, stayed the night. Left this morning in a hurry and forgot her keys.”

Five grimaced. “Why are you snooping inside her apartment then?”

“Well, it’s kind of embarrassing but I really needed to use the restroom,” he said, glancing at Five momentarily before turning back to Allison. “Don’t I know you? You’re the one in that movie, right? The one about the lawyer in the wheelchair, right? Vanya never mentioned that her sister was a movie star!”

Allison nodded, a strangely patient mask sliding over her face. She must have experienced people recognizing her on the street frequently enough for this to be a routine.

“Yeah, yeah that’s me-”

“Tell you what,” Five interrupted, pasting a fake and hopefully intimidating shark grin on his face. “Why don’t Allison and I get those keys to Vanya, and you can just head on your way? Sound good?”

He held out his hand for the keys and waited, watching as Leonard’s finally dragged his eyes back to Five reluctantly.

After a second’s pause, far too long for Five’s liking, Leonard shrugged.

“Yeah, sure, whatever’s easiest right?” He dropped the keys into Five’s awaiting hand, and turned to head out. “Great seeing you again, Five.”

And then he was gone.

Five wasted no time in passing the keys to Allison, watching her pocket them before he spoke: “I don’t like that guy, and I don’t trust him around Vanya. He’s up to something.”

Allison was staring at the door with an unreadable expression, but she met Five’s gaze and nodded.

“Agreed. I don’t buy his story about him being here to use the restroom. I’ve had plenty of stalkers in my time, and they all come up with any excuse as to why they’re snooping around and it’s always bullshit.”

Five nodded, glancing between her and the door before finally he made up his mind.

“Allison, do you mind if I take a rain check? I kind of want to look into this guy more, make sure he is who he says he is.”

“Go,” she said understandingly. “I’ll bring Vanya her keys. And make sure you stay safe, Five.”

He shot her a grateful smile before blinking out onto the street, looking around him and hoping desperately he wasn’t too late. He was just in time to see Leonard turn the corner and he began to follow from a safe distance.

After several minutes of stalking he watched Leonard get into his car.

He cursed inwardly, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to follow him by foot. He would need to get creative.

“Don’t stop,” he said, as he blinked into a cab and made the driver yelp with fright. “See that car up ahead? Follow it, but not close enough to raise any suspicions.” He dropped some cash into the seat next to the driver, who simply nodded vigorously and did as he was told.

They ended up being led to a suburban neighborhood. He instructed the cab driver to roll past slowly enough for him to catch the number of the house and watch Leonard letting himself in.

He couldn’t risk going in now while Leonard was home, but he made a mental note of the street and house number before asking the cab driver to bring him to the library.

He could busy himself with some light research while he waited.

As he exited the cab, he saw a flash of a pale blue car turn around the corner and paused.

A strange feeling churned in his gut, however he shook it away. He needed to focus.

Walking into the old library was a jarring experience for him. The sight transported him back to over a week ago when he had been so reluctant to leave the comfort of this place.

It had been a ruin, but it had been his safe haven on a hostile land.

He walked past the autobiography aisle, where he had set up camp in the corner for several months and devoured every readable book that he could get his hands on. He had chosen that particular corner because it was where he had found Vanya’s book, buried under multiple shelves and still beautifully intact, at least once he’d dusted off the ash and burnt papers.

He tried to ignore the quickening of his breath as his memories came flooding back and instead he busied himself with the task at hand.

The first thing he needed to do was find out Leonard’s last name, which ended up being incredibly tricky considering the phone book was in alphabetical order by last name. He trawled through news articles and numerous listings until finally he stumbled across a picture of Leonard, and above the listing of an ‘L Peabody’ next to 147 Murillo Street.

“Got you,” he muttered, feeling in his gut that he was onto something. He would figure out what this Leonard character wanted with Vanya and get him the hell out of his sister’s life.

Despite his initial victory however, he found nothing. Even after hours of searching. 

No trace of anything, no school records or news articles or even any relatives. With increasing frustration, he flipped through the pages of the newspapers he had pulled out and the records he had searched through but finally conceded that this Leonard Peabody was practically non-existent.

Now _that_ was suspicious on its own, but it wasn’t enough to take to Vanya. Not when she was apparently spending the night at Leonard’s house. It meant she was invested in him, and Five suspected that it would make her defensive.

No, what he needed was something bigger, something more sinister.

Something like a criminal record.

* * *

Five had waited until late in the evening to sneak into the police station, when most of the officers had headed home and only those on the night shift or those working late hours remained inside. He was still tired from the night before and would quickly reach his limit having to constantly blink in and out of every room to avoid prying eyes.

Armed only with a pretzel from a nearby stand and Leonard Peabody’s name, he teleported into the station and made his way surreptitiously to the records room.

It took him several tries to find it, nearly getting caught by roaming police officers as he made his way around, occasionally blinking in and out of rooms to hide out of sight. When he finally found what he wanted, he was already feeling relatively drained from the effort.

Thousands of files organized on shelves reaching up to the ceiling greeted him in an unwelcome sight.

“Oh god,” he groaned, before searching around for a stepladder. He could tell that he would need one to reach the ‘P’ section.

Once he climbed his way up to the correct section, he began searching through the files. It took him several minutes to locate the only file for a Leonard Peabody. 

Immediately he knew that it was a dead end.

The picture was definitely not Leonard, and was instead of what looked to be a fifty year old man with several missing teeth and a penchant for arson and urinating in public places.

He searched through the other files desperately, hoping that potentially the file he needed had just been misplaced somewhere else, but it was no use. There were no records of the Leonard Peabody he was searching for.

Just as he was grudgingly sliding the file back onto the shelf, a voice cut through the silence.

“Who the hell are you?”

The interruption startled him and his foot slipped on the top step. He yelped, flailing as he went tumbling backwards.

Immediately arms wrapped under his shoulders to try to stop his momentum, but it wasn’t enough. The two of them went falling onto the floor in a heap.

The impact left him winded and before he could move to escape the person grabbed his wrist They plucked the file he had been gripping on for dear life with ease.

He recognized the woman as the police officer that Diego had been talking to in front of the Meritech building. From the way her eyes widened, she clearly remembered him too.

“Five? What are you doing here?” She opened the file. “And why are you looking at this guy’s file? Leonard Peabody?”

He opened his mouth, but closed it immediately. There was no reason for him to be in this room that would sound remotely acceptable to a police officer.

She seemed to gather as much from his silence and sighed, standing and hauling him up by his shoulder.

“Look, you’re a kid and I really don’t want to arrest you, so why don’t we make a deal? You tell me what you know about the guys trying to kill you – the ones at Griddy’s and this Hazel and Cha Cha pair, and I’ll forget that this happened. That work for you?”

He wanted to reject her offer instinctively and take the opportunity to blink away, but logic made him hold off. She knew Diego and she knew where he lived. If he ran away now she could easily come find him at the Academy.

He could continue to outrun her, but it would be pretty exhausting having a police officer on his tail while simultaneously trying to live out his final days on Earth peacefully.

“Come on, kid,” she continued, mistaking his lack of response as a rejection. “I’m just trying to keep you safe.”

“Okay, fine,” he agreed reluctantly. She relaxed and moved to put the file back where it belonged. “But I won’t give an official statement.”

“Geez, you’re as stubborn as your brother,” she muttered under her breath. He bristled at being compared with Diego, but said nothing. “Fine. My shift is over anyway. We’ll go for a walk, I’ll buy you a hot dog and you can tell me all about it. Nothing official, just a couple questions to help me with my investigation.”

“Works for me.” He gave her a smug smile.

Five followed her out of the police station, stopping to let her grab her jacket and bid farewell to a colleague.

He wasn’t interested in relying on the police. Their father had always drilled into them that the Academy was a far superior force against crime, however pitting another obstacle against Hazel and Cha Cha could only be a good thing. It would slow them down at the very least.

His side investigation on Leonard Peabody had been a bust, and he was still completely in a fog about what could trigger the Apocalypse in less than a week. Maybe it was time for him to think about dealing with the people trying to murder him.

Diego had thought he was crazy for not caring. He had been mistaken.

Five cared. Of course he cared. He didn’t want to die at the hands of crazed assassins, but the fact that they were after him meant that they couldn’t have been the source of the original Apocalypse.

At the time that was all that had mattered. Everything else, including Hazel and Cha Cha, had been secondary up until now.

The officer led him out of the station. As they walked side by side they enjoyed a few minutes of peace before she spoke again:

“I’m Detective Patch, by the way.”

“Five. Hargreeves. But you already knew that.”

“Yeah, Diego mentioned that you’d returned after being missing for what-seventeen years or so? Seems like a long time to be missing, especially since according to him you’re still fourteen.

“Diego’s mistaken. Don’t hold it against him, he just can’t count past twenty,” he said dismissively. She snorted in amusement, although tried to cover it up. “Are you guys dating?”

Patch flushed slightly and grimaced, turning away from him to stare straight ahead. They had turned the corner from the police station now.

The street was nearly empty due to the late hour. Darkness had crept up on them slowly and only the streetlamps and the lights from the nearby buildings illuminated the road ahead.

“Straight to the point, huh? Well we’re not, not anymore, but we’re still…friends, I guess. I don’t approve of his vigilante activities, but I still respect your brother. He’s just trying to do the right thing in his own, dysfunctional way,” she said grudgingly. “Even if it constantly meddles in my investigations.”

“Yes, well, Dysfunctional is our family’s shared middle name,” Five said humorously.

In the quiet of the night, he heard the sound of a car approaching and for some reason or other, turned his head to look behind him.

He saw a flash of pale blue, just like what he had seen outside the library, and fear gripped him as he realized why it had disturbed him then.

Hazel and Cha Cha.

He cursed inwardly, adrenaline coursing through his veins as the car slowed and lined up against the pavement. He should have recognized their car from Griddy’s, but he had been distracted, so focused on Leonard Peabody that he had ignored his gut instinct.

“So about that night at Griddy’s-”

He gripped Patch’s arm and began to push her forward to speed up their pace. She looked at him, bewildered and resistant.

“Hey, what are you-”

“We’re being followed. It’s Hazel and Cha Cha,” he hissed. She tensed and matched his pace, turning to glance behind them. He did the same, just in time to see the masked assassins exiting the car and slamming the doors behind them. His heart skipped a beat when he caught sight of the brand new automatic rifles in their hand.

“ _Run!_ ” Eudora cried, pulling him forward as the bullets began to fly.

A car windshield shattered next to them and a fiery band of pain streaked across his calf. Five yelped, leaping away and feeling Patch drag him down an alley amidst the noise and gunfire. He let her pull him as he struggled to keep up and shield himself.

Five didn’t dare to look down but he knew that he had been hit in the calf. It was a graze, which meant that he could ignore it for now.

Patch pulled out her radio. She swore when she realized it had been shot through along with a stripe of her belt. Her waist had a long gash in it, blood running down the side of her trousers.

She ignored it, pulling out her gun. She was so focused that she plainly didn’t realize that they had reached a dead end.

“Oh, shit,” she wheezed as she caught sight of the wall blocking the alleyway, but it was too late to turn back.

Hazel and Cha Cha stood at the entrance, guns raised and pointed at the two of them.

“Hey, Five, nice to see you again,” said the muffled voice of Hazel.

“Wish I could say the same, asshole,” Five snapped back. “What do you two even _want_ with me?”

“We just want you to come with us. To talk.”

Five scoffed. Like hell he would just lay down and listen to them.

“If you want me alive, then why the hell do you keep shooting at me?”

“The assignment wasn’t specific about what condition you needed to be in, so we’re taking a few liberties,” Cha Cha cut in, considerably less friendly sounding than her partner. “Now shut up and get over here with your hands in the air, otherwise we’ll blow out your kneecaps and carry you. It’s your choice.” She jerked her gun at him, motioning for him to start moving.

“Don’t go with them,” Patch said, her voice too low for them to hear.

“Wasn’t planning to.”

He grabbed her arm and blinked them out of the alleyway, to the other side of the road at the entrance to the park, and used the forward momentum to force them to keep moving.

Patch made a gagging noise, hunching over as she ran.

“Oh god, what the hell just happened? I think I’m going to puke. What did you-“

“No time for questions!” Five gasped, his muscles aching and trembling. He felt violently ill as well, and he knew he had made a mistake. He had severely overstretched himself in distance with that jump, which would have been easy enough alone, but he hadn’t been alone. “Puke later, just keep running!”

It still hadn’t been far enough. He saw Hazel and Cha Cha heading across the road, firing at them from afar and the bullets blazing a trail in front of them.

The few people who had been walking in the park were dispersing quickly, screaming in terror and confusion.

He and Patch kept knocking into each other as they ran in a wobbly zigzag towards an ice cream kiosk up ahead of them. It was closed and padlocked, but it was the only cover they could see.

Five desperately wished he had blinked them into a less open space than the park.

He had panicked and acted without thinking. He knew that it would cost them.

They scrambled behind the cover of the closed kiosk, but they were sitting ducks until Hazel and Cha Cha arrived. There was nowhere else to run.

Five slumped against the wooden wall, gasping for breath. It felt like breathing through knives, his throat still aching from when Hazel had strangled him during their first attack. His whole body was throbbing, leg on fire and head bursting with pain.

Patch was cursing and glancing around the kiosk. She flinched back as bullets flew past in a rattle of noise and dust, exploding against the wood. She was sweating profusely but she held her gun close and her eyes were focused and calm. Her police training had evidently kicked in even in the face of certain death.

“Fuck they’re close. You’re a teleporter right?” she asked. Her voice was hoarse from panting. “Think you can get us to that gate over there behind them? The wall should give us enough cover to get away from them.”

He looked where she was pointing, at another entryway to the park where the fences were steel bars upon brick walls. If they ran by foot they would be exposed.

If he teleported though, then maybe they had a chance.

“Shit, yeah, let me try-” he held her wrist and drew as much energy as he could into blinking away.

The blue around his fists crackled, spluttered and stopped. 

He screamed in frustration through gritted teeth as he tried again, his muscles cramping from the effort.

It was no use.

“I-crap-I can’t, I don’t have enough juice to carry us both-the first jump wore me out,” he stammered.

She stared at him for a moment, her expression indecipherable.

Fear was coursing through his veins as he realized that they were trapped like rats, and they were both going to die. 

He was such an idiot. Why had he drunk so much alcohol, why had he not spent yesterday resting and recharging, why had he not _listened to Diego_ when he had practically begged Five to take the gunmen and Hazel and Cha Cha more seriously?

He desperately wanted his family with him now.

“Would you be able to jump alone?”

He realized that Patch had spoken, and frowned.

“What? I-maybe I could, but what would you do?”

“I’ll hold them off,” she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Five stared at her in disbelief. She met his gaze unwaveringly.

“You’ll what? Are you _insane_? I’m _not_ leaving you here-”

“We don’t have a choice. I’m not getting out of here anyway.” She was resigned, yet determined. “I can at least keep them busy, but not for very long.”

“Did you hear me? I’m _not_ leaving you to die here! Diego would never forgive me-”

“Of course he’ll forgive you, you’re his brother,” she said tiredly, giving him a wan smile. “He’ll just be grateful you’re not dead.”

The panic rising in him was unbearable as he watched her tighten her grip around her gun and sit up into a crouch, ready to attack. He couldn’t breathe. It was like taking in air through a straw and his chest was on fire, but he knew he had to stop her.

She was saving him. She was Diego’s _friend_ and he couldn’t just let her die.

“No, we can-I can…don’t do this,” he pleaded desperately, grabbing her arm. He was shaking unbearably. “Don’t be a fucking hero, don’t do this _please_.”

“Sorry kid, it’s kind of my job,” she said grimly, before twisting her arm out of his grip. “Now _go!_ ” She shoved him back, _hard_ , and she was gone, darted around the kiosk and shooting at Hazel and Cha Cha.

Five blinked away, his body making the decision that his mind wouldn’t.

As he landed behind the park entrance, his knees hit the gravel and sent shooting pains up and down his thighs. In the distance, he could hear sirens approaching and he scrambled up to peek over the brick wall through the steel bars.

He saw Detective Patch, gun raised as she shot at Hazel who was running for cover.

He saw Cha Cha emerge from the other side of the kiosk, rifle pointed at Patch as she moved forward. Five had only been a second away from being discovered.

A round of bullets blasted through Patch’s back and she dropped like a stone, bloodied and motionless.

Five nearly screamed but the sound caught in his throat, tearing away his breath. 

The world warped and distorted around him and a roaring sound filled his ears. Everything juddering to a stop momentarily, the only exception being Hazel and Cha Cha as they moved to stand over Patch’s lifeless body.

He turned and ran into the darkness, away from the gory scene and from his attackers, blindly and without direction. His heart was thundering so rapidly he was sure it would give out on him at any second. In some dark corner of his mind, he would have welcomed any reprieve from the torrent of self-loathing that followed his every footstep.

He needed to leave before they saw him, but he had nowhere to go. He simply went where his legs would take him.

The sirens approached but they were far too late. All Five could see was the lifeless body of Detective Patch and her two attackers standing over her impassively, the pink floppy-eared dog and the blue grinning bear. 


	8. The aftermath of bad choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kind comments and your support, they mean everything to me <3  
> This chapter is a bit calmer than the last one, but a storm is brewing on the horizon. I've projected this fic to be around fifteen to sixteen chapters minimum, and the second half is without a doubt darker and angstier than the first. Five is definitely struggling with a lot of misplaced guilt and any stoicism he was projecting is slowly falling apart, so I'm hoping to really explore the fact that he's still just fourteen years old and completely out of his depth.  
> Hope you enjoy the chapter ^_^

The first day back fighting crime on the streets was like a breath of fresh air to Diego. Ever since Reginald’s funeral and Five’s return, he hadn’t had a single opportunity to get back into vigilantism.

Instead he’d spent the past few days playing cab driver to Five and Klaus, wondering what new fresh hell the former could continue bringing down on him.

The past few days had been dramatic even for a night time crime fighting vigilante like Diego. First it was trigger happy assassins, then world ending Apocalypses and finally teenage alcohol abuse.

He was itching to get back on the streets, to get his blood pumping and his focus back on track. He’d needed to get out of the mansion, retreat back into his old life for at least one day so he could regain his composure before checking back in on the others.

Frankly, he was prepared to not see any of his siblings for another decade after their last discussion.

The thought that his brothers and sisters were so willing to casually _murder_ Grace still sent him into a furious rage.

Because yes, that’s what it was to him. Straight up murder.

Despite that, he couldn’t just leave Five in a lurch right now, as much as the kid’s antics were driving him up the wall. He couldn’t relax just yet. Not until he was sure that Five was settling down into a healthy routine, one that included not being a target for murder.

Instead he had poured out all of his frustrations, with the discussion of their mother’s fate, with Five’s lack of self-preservation, into his crime fighting.

Fists, knives and vigilantism were much better suited to his strengths.

Diego had left the final fight of the night, himself versus an unlucky purse snatcher, feeling more relaxed than he’d been in days. He was sweating profusely, muscles aching that deep ache he always felt after a good workout, and he was ready for a refreshing shower and a restful night of satisfied dreams.

Only for all of that to be ruined when he entered his basement apartment and saw Luther sitting on his bed.

He greeted the man with a knife next to his head, satisfied when it drew a surprised yelp.

“What the hell, Diego - you could have killed me!”

“Only if you’d moved,” he said lightly, walking down the stairs and reaching out to retrieve the knife from the wall. Luther shot him a dirty look, but he ignored it and picked up a towel to wipe the sweat off his forehead. “What do you want? This better not be about Mom, because I sure as hell haven’t changed my mind so don’t even bother.”

“Uh, no it’s not about that,” Luther said, annoyance vanishing. “Allison wanted me to ask you if you’d seen Five? Apparently he’s been out all day and hasn’t come back home yet.”

Diego shook his head.

“Haven’t heard from him. He’s probably out knocking back another bottle of wine,” he said, shrugging off his utility belt and straps and placing them carefully onto the table. “Where did she last see him?”

Luther thought for a second. “They went to Vanya’s apartment, and Five went off on his own to go investigate some guy. Apparently some student of Vanya’s who was a bit of a creep. That was this morning and she hasn’t heard from him since.”

“Right, well, I can take the car out and drive around, see if I can catch him.”

He was about done with the conversation, but Luther didn’t seem ready to leave just yet. He pottered around a bit, looking around the boiler room and lifting up a few bits and pieces.

Just as Diego’s patience ran out, he finally spoke:

“All that stuff Five was saying about the Apocalypse, do you believe him?” When Diego didn’t answer immediately, he continued. “Allison thinks he’s telling the truth. She’s booked a flight for tomorrow morning to go and see Claire, spend her final days with her daughter and all that.”

Diego shrugged, taking a seat at his desk and leaning back to rest his aching body. He had received a few good hits that night, nothing major but enough to sting.

“Maybe. Maybe not, I don’t really know. He seemed pretty stuck on how to stop it, so I figure why worry about it unless we actually know what causes it? What I do know that Five isn’t going to live long enough to see the Apocalypse at this rate, the number of guys he’s got gunning for him,” he said gruffly. A worrying thought occurred to him. “Shit, you think that might be why he’s not come back?”

He felt a rush of anxiety at the thought that Hazel and Cha Cha might have found Five, especially if he’d been alone.

Five was far from defenseless. Even at fourteen they had all been hardened by missions, however the two assassins were an entirely different beast to the common criminals they had fought at that age.

If the others hadn’t been at the Academy the other night, he doubted that Five would have stood a chance.

“Maybe, or he could have just gotten caught up in investigating that student guy. You know how single-minded he can be.”

Diego snorted. “That’s an understatement. Remember when he latched onto time travel? We couldn’t go one day without him bugging dad about it, right up until the day he disappeared.”

“Oh yeah. I remember just wanting him to shut up about it already,” Luther said distantly, undoubtedly focused on a memory from all those years ago. “And then he did it, just like he said he could.”

“And screwed it up, just like Dad said he would.”

He watched as Luther slumped down at his words, his giant form suddenly smaller than when he’d arrived. The man sat down heavily onto the bed, which creaked in protest under his actions and threatened to break, but he didn’t seem to notice.

It was as if all wind had left his sails at the mention of their father. Diego frowned as he watched Luther staring down at his hands in defeat.

“What’s up with you?”

“I…uh, I found out that Dad never opened any of the moon samples I sent back to him,” Luther said, his voice cracking slightly as he struggled with his words. “Apparently, he sent me up there to keep me busy. Give me purpose after my accident, or some crap like that according to Pogo. The bastard shanghaied me on the Moon for four years just ‘cause I couldn’t cut it as Number One.”

Something heavy settled in the pit of Diego’s stomach at the confession. The humiliation on Luther’s face was clear as day, and it was hard to watch. 

He had never heard Luther refer to their father in any negative light, never mind calling him a _bastard_.

The two brothers had butted heads since the very beginning. The others had never understood why their ranking had always made Diego feel inferior. Why he had _needed_ to prove himself against Luther, the brother who he thought had never truly earned his position as Number One.

Luther’s revelation renewed the hatred he held against his father, but it also highlighted how utterly meaningless their rivalry had been.

Diego had been mistaken all along.

There had never been any favoritism. Reginald Hargreeves had treated his children equally like garbage, regardless of ranking. The only difference was in how he had done it. 

“I’m sorry to hear that, man,” he said sincerely. “That must have been rough.”

Luther nodded, taking a shaky breath. “Yeah it was…not great. Allison talked me down a bit, but I’m just kind of stuck right now. I don’t really know what to do next. I’ve spent my life at the Academy, and then four years on the Moon. I’m not like you guys, I haven’t…I’ve never had a life outside of Dad.”

Diego stood up, heading over to Luther and sitting down beside him. The groan that the bed made convinced him that it was definitely permanently warped now, but it was a necessary consequence.

“We’ll help you,” he said, clapping a hand on Luther’s shoulder reassuringly. “We all figured it out, which means you can too. Hell if _Klaus_ could figure it out, you’ll do just fine. I’ll make sure of it.”

Luther smiled at him gratefully. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

It was the first genuine conversation they had had in years, and although it wasn’t enough to unravel years of bickering and enmity, it was a pretty damn good start.

They agreed to head out to look for Five together after that. Diego changed his clothes – same outfit, just cleaner – before grabbing his car keys off the table. Although he was pretty much beat from his previous activities, he knew that he wouldn’t get much rest until he could be sure that Five was okay.

Just as they were heading up the stairs, someone knocked loudly on his door. Before he could begin to guess who it was, a familiar voice rang out:

“Diego, you in there? Open up!”

Diego exchanged a confused glance with his brother, reaching out to open the door only to find Detective Beeman leaning his arm against the doorframe.

When he saw Diego he let his hands fall to his sides slowly.

“Chuck? What are you doing here?” he asked, glancing around behind the man to see if there was anyone else there, but he was alone. “Where’s Patch?”

Beeman heaved a miserable sigh that set alarm bells ringing in Diego’s head. The man looked tired and frazzled, his posture slumped and his face drawn with resignation.

There was literally no good reason for Beeman to be here, which meant that something was wrong. The possibilities raced through Diego’s mind, but he suddenly felt a deep dread that their worst fears had been confirmed. Hazel and Cha Cha had found Five first.

“What’s wrong?”

Beeman shook his head sadly.

“Diego, I have to…it’s Eudora. Patch. She’s dead,” he said, voice breaking at the last sentence. “She was killed-multiple gunshot wounds to the back and head. By the time police arrived she was already gone.”

The world tilted, warped and slowed. Diego could hear a buzzing noise in his ear, loud and obtrusive as he tried to focus on what Beeman was saying, but it was hard to listen. 

He felt distant, like he was far away and listening to this conversation from across the room. The words were bouncing around in his head but they were utterly meaningless. Luther was standing next to him, but he barely registered his presence.

“Wait, wh-I don’t understand,” he said. His voice sounded muffled to his own ears. “What do you mean, _she’s dead_?”

“Patch was killed. She’s dead. I’m sorry, Diego.”

His brain was still not processing the words Beeman was saying, but the sharp twist in his gut was undeniable. _She’s dead._

“What…what happened? How..”

“According to witnesses she was gunned down by two armed suspects in animal masks at City Park.”

 _Hazel and Cha Cha_.

“I wanted to tell you in person since I knew you were close, but actually there’s another reason I’m here,” Beeman continued. He seemed to be powering through his own grief, unable to pause or step lest he break down. “One of the officers said that before she left the station, she was with someone. Some kid in school uniform, early teens. The description kind of sounded like the kid who was with you at Meritech the other day.”

Diego could feel Luther’s burning gaze on him, but he was still wading through water and struggling for air.

Eudora was _dead._

“That sounds like our brother, Five. Is he okay? Is he hurt?” he heard Luther ask urgently.

“To be honest, we’re not sure where he is. They were seen running from the gunmen together, apparently taking cover behind a kiosk. After that a witness spotted the kid running out of the park, right when Detective Patch got shot down. Pretty sure he got away since the attackers were seen leaving the other way.”

Diego squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened them everything was blurry.

Luther and Beeman continued to talk for several minutes, but time was moving past him while he stood there frozen. He barely noticed when Luther finally shut the door, leaving them in silence.

He felt his legs giving out from under him and he slumped against the wall, while Luther hovered over him anxiously. He didn’t realize he was crying until he felt the wetness on his palms. His shoulders were shaking and in another life he would have been ashamed about crying in front of his brother.

Luther put an arm on his shoulder, squeezing him and anchoring him to reality.

His mind was filled with grief and rage as he wept. Grief over his friend who had died alone, gunned down by Hazel and Cha Cha for god knows what reason, and rage at himself. How had this happened? How could Eudora be dead? She had been so alive the last time he had seen her.

He couldn’t fathom the thought of never seeing her again.

His last exchange with Eudora had been nasty, callous, and remembering it was like digging a knife into a fresh wound. ‘ _Save it. I’ll see you some other time, Detective.’_ A wave of self-hatred flooded his senses as he desperately wished he could turn back the clock. Change those words, smile at her, hug her, tell her how much she meant to him.

Vaguely he recalled Beeman’s words before he had left, and a cold trickle of fury began to curl up in his chest.

Five had been with her. Five had _led_ them to her, and he had left her there to die.

Just where the hell was he now?

* * *

The first thing Five registered was that someone was shaking his shoulder gently. He was lying on something hard and cold, his whole body stiff and begging for a reprieve from the uncomfortable position. As he cracked open an eyelid, the brightness of the sun was a stark reminder that it was morning.

It was _morning_. Someone was shaking him.

The thought was enough to electrify him into action, and he scrambled up from his position on the floor to stare frantically around.

There was no Hazel and Cha Cha. No guns pointed at him, no animal asks staring down at him with beady eyes and grinning mouths. Instead he was in a diner, while a familiar face hovered over him looking anxious.

“Agnes…” he breathed, swallowing dryly. It felt like there was sand clogging up his throat, he was so thirsty. “What are you-”

Griddy’s. He was at Griddy’s.

He must have run all the way here after last night, when he had been wandering aimlessly hours after escaping Hazel and Cha Cha.

The events of the previous night hit him like a train. He nearly collapsed in on himself, slumping back against one of the tables and knocking his head on the edge. It hurt, but he barely reached.

“Hey kid,” Agnes said. She was talking slowly, as if approaching a cornered animal. “I can’t say I was expecting to find you here this morning. How did you even get inside? I double lock the whole place before leaving every night.” 

“Um, it’s hard to explain,” he croaked. He was too exhausted to come up with a lie.

“Is it also hard to explain why you’re also bleeding all over the place?”

He glanced down and only then realized that there was dried blood smeared all over the floor. Shit, his leg. He’d forgotten about it completely after watching Patch get gunned down.

He pulled the long sock on his right leg down slowly, hissing when it stuck to the wound and only moved after a few agonizing tugs. Finally it peeled away, revealing a gash across his calf which was similar to the one in his arm although slightly less serious. Where it had previously been throbbing, now it felt like it was on fire again.

Agnes stared at it, disturbed. “I’ll go get the first aid kit. That looks like it could get infected. Why don’t you take a seat? You seem ready to pass out.”

He frowned, wondering what she meant until he took stock of himself properly. His whole body was trembling slightly from exhaustion. His eyes felt swollen and puffy, and when he reached up he could feel dried tear tracks on his cheeks. His knees were grazed and he still had the bruises around his neck and face from his first fight with the two assassins.

He must have looked a complete mess.

As Agnes rooted around in the back room, Five pulled himself onto a chair with a pained groan and shaky hands. His entire body was broken and bruised and in desperate need of a night off. Despite the fact that he had just woken up, he was weary enough to go straight back to sleep.

He wanted to shove the memories of the previous night out of his head, carve them out of his mind and leave him hollow inside if it just meant never thinking about it again. But it was no use, he could see nothing else, _hear_ nothing else except the sounds which had haunted him throughout the night.

He barely noticed as Agnes returned from the back room, helping him prop his leg up on a chair as she began to clean the wound. He was silent throughout this, his mind replaying the events of last night on repeat even though it made me sick.

There was no doubt in his mind that it was his fault Patch was caught in the crossfire.

He had snuck into the police station on a whim to distract himself. He had refused to give an official statement like a stubborn child, forcing her to suggest an alternative. He had ignored the signs that Hazel and Cha Cha were following him. He had refused to just go with them when they had demanded.

He had left her there alone to die.

Every bad choice, every irresponsible and selfish action he had taken had led directly to Detective Patch’s death.

He had no idea how he was going to face Diego tonight.

Not for the first time, he desperately wished that he had mastered how to rewind time. Back to before Patch had died. Back to before he had landed in the Apocalypse. Back to before he had stormed out of the Academy like the arrogant child he was, and triggered the first step in the breakdown of his already dysfunctional family.

Ever since he had landed in the Apocalypse until this point in time, he felt like he had been living in nothing but the consequences of his own actions. And he was _tired_.

“Okay, I’m just about done here. How are you feeling?”

Five blinked. He had completely forgotten where he was. His leg had been cleaned and bandaged, the blood on the floor mopped up until it was sparkling clean. Agnes was giving him a sympathetic smile as she waited for his response.

“Oh…better, thanks. You didn’t have to do that.”

She waved him off. “Don’t be silly. I couldn’t just leave you like that. Although it would be nice if I could start referring to you by your actual name rather than just ‘kid’.”

“It’s Five,” he said. She barely reacted, although at this point his name was probably the least concerning thing she had experienced in his presence.

“Got it. Five. Did you want to talk about what’s bothering you?” she asked kindly. “You look like you’ve had a rough night.”

He laughed humorlessly, unable to stop himself.

“That’s an understatement.”

To his abject humiliation, tears sprang up to his eyes and began rolling down his cheeks. It was like every emotion that he had felt from last night and this morning bursting through the dam and overwhelming him unbearably. 

He ducked his head to hide them however it was impossible to stop them now the floodgates had opened. He gasped for breath, putting his hand up to his face to cover his shame.

He heard rather than saw Agnes pull up a chair next to him, and seconds later he felt her arms wrap around his shoulders and pull him into a side embrace. He let his head drop onto her shoulder while she patted his hair softly.

The action was comforting and reminded him of Grace, which only made him cry even more. He hiccupped as he tried to blink back the tears which kept falling.

“Oh dear, just let it all out,” she reassured. “We all need a good cry once in a while.”

“I just…” he began, his voice hoarse. “I’ve screwed everything up. I was given this…this second chance to fix everything, to save my family. And instead I’ve made everything worse.” The admission sat heavy on his mind. He reached up to rub at his eyes, brushing away the wetness as his vision blurred.

Agnes was silent, simply letting him speak. Now that he had started, he couldn’t stop, and it all fell out in a desperate ramble.

“I don’t know what I’m doing. I can’t stop what’s going to happen by myself, but it feels like the whole world is working against me right now. And then last night…”

The words stuck in his throat. He couldn’t bear to think about last night, not when it was accompanied by a flood of sadness that tore through him completely.

“Last night just proved that my family is better off without me,” he confessed hollowly. “I should have just stayed away from them.”

Agnes tutted. “Oh dear, now that’s just crazy talk. I can’t speak for all the other things you said, but I’m sure that your family would rather have you here with them than anywhere else.”

Five snorted. “You haven’t met my family.”

“Well, that’s true,” she conceded after a thoughtful pause. “But I’ve met you, and I think you’re a wonderfully thoughtful and sincere young man. Your family are lucky to have someone who loves them so much. I can promise you that thy know that, even if they don’t show it all the time.”

He gave her a sad but grateful smile.

In truth it didn’t help reassure him very much, but it felt good to have at least one person in his corner.

He finally managed to get his grief under control after a few quiet minutes between them, until finally he pulled away. He cleared his throat and stared pointedly down at the floor, embarrassed by his display of vulnerability.

Agnes didn’t comment on this, instead standing up and straightening out her outfit.

“Well,” she said brightly. “Now that you’re all bandaged up, why don’t I get you a nice hot cup of coffee and a doughnut? I have to open the store, but you can stay as long as you’d like.”

He thanked her quietly and she set about starting her day, unlocking the shop and removed the ‘Closed’ sign. Before long, customers began entering the store for breakfast and the atmosphere became considerably livelier.

A few of them glanced curiously at him, however he was left alone with his meal for the most part. He was grateful for this, as it gave him time to think and plan on what to do next.

Namely, how to delay going back to the Academy.

He would have to return eventually. He couldn’t avoid it forever, not with an Apocalypse coming, but the thought of facing a grief-stricken and hate-filled Diego made him feel painfully ill. He could picture the disgust on his brother’s face when he discovered that Five had inadvertently caused Patch’s death through his recklessness.

He couldn’t bear the thought of it. Not yet. He would face the music later.

Right now he just needed time. Time to calm the dread he was experiencing and silence the constant, repetitive sound of a lifeless body falling heavily to the ground. Time to clear his mind of grinning bears and beady eye pink dogs.

He may as well finish what he started yesterday, if only to make it worth something.

* * *

Breaking into Leonard Peabody’s house had been easy, because frankly as a teleporter breaking into anything was easy. He had simply waited outside the house until the man had finally left, locking his door and driving off into the distance. Away from the prying eyes of any neighbor’s Five had teleported into the house the moment he was out of sight and begun his delicate search for anything suspicious.

The only issue was that he had underestimated how completely worn out his body was after the past few days. He hobbled around the house like an old man, hissing whenever he had to reach for something or crouch down.

He powered through, knowing that he could rest once he figured out what Leonard Peabody was up to and stopped him. He may have completed trashed his relationship with Diego, but maybe there was still hope for him to save Vanya from his creep.

There was nothing immediately suspicious about the house. He was careful to replace everything in the correct spot, and after a thorough search decided to head upstairs.

There were photos of Leonard and either friends of family scattered around the house, although they were few and far between. He seemed like a man with a solitary lifestyle.

When Five picked a photo up of Leonard holding up a birdhouse and grinning at the camera, he fancied that Leonard’s eyes were the same color as the glass eye he had lost.

The memory of Hazel taking it from him was still a bitter one.

He searched Leonard’s bedroom, pulling out drawers and rifling through clothes until he finally found something of interest. In one of the drawers he found multiple papers and an identity card, all with the same name on it.

 _Harold Jenkins_.

Was this Leonard’s real name?

It would explain why he hadn’t found any information on him in the library.

He kept the identity card with him, sliding it into his blazer pocket for safekeeping. Before leaving he decided to crouch down to look under the bed, not expecting to find anything but figuring it wouldn’t hurt to check.

Immediately his eyes were drawn to a book, tucked surreptitiously underneath the foot of the bed. It was difficult to miss with its deep red cover and gold trim, and the fact that it looked completely out of place.

He reached out to grab it, pinching it with his fingers and dragging it towards him.

Shock jolted through him as he caught sight of the front cover.

 _RH_.

He opened the book and flipped through the pages. Upon seeing the handwriting, Five knew without a doubt that this journal belonged to his father. He would recognize that haughty cursive handwriting anywhere, even if he had never been allowed to read their Reginald’s notes.

What the hell was Leonard doing with it? How had he even gotten a hold of this? Reginald had kept all of his notes of his children locked away at all times.

Five was tempted to sit and read through it now, but knew that would be unwise. He had no idea when Leonard would be returning. The best thing to do was continue his search and read the journal later.

He continued checking around the house, finding nothing in the guest room and the restroom either. The only thing left to do was look in the loft.

When he blinked inside he could see he had hit the jackpot.

Dozens and dozens of photographs of him and his siblings were plastered haphazardly to the walls, all of them with scratched out eyes over their domino masks. He could see multiple of his own photos there with angry marks discoloring his face.

Tiny actions figures with melted heads and faces were lined up on the shelves, placed in front of child like drawings of the Umbrella Academy. Underneath them there were shelves with multiple comic books and newspaper articles, all on the Academy and some of them ripped and scribbled over.

All in all, the work of a highly disturbed individual who was clearly obsessed with the Academy.

It took very little for Five to connect the dots: Leonard was using Vanya to get to the rest of them.

He couldn’t understand why, or what the man was planning, but it was clear that it was nothing good.

Glancing at the clock, he realized that he had been here for almost two hours searching every nook and cranny. It was time to wrap it up. He had found what he’d been looking for and more.

Leonard was a threat to Vanya, which meant that he needed to be dealt with.

It wasn’t quite the Apocalypse level threat that Five had been used to dealing with, but the thought of his failure to stop the Apocalypse would bring him nothing but existential dread.

For now he could focus on bringing down Leonard Peabody, or Harold Jenkins if that was his name, and stopping whatever creepy plan this guy had with his sister. Vanya, after all, featured heavily in his plan to die heroically amongst his family when the Apocalypse inevitably came. He couldn’t risk anything ruining that for him.

But, he thought with resignation, firstly he needed to go home and face his family.


	9. Do we have an agreement?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again thank you for your wonderful comments. I'm so glad that many of you loved the parts with Agnes and Five, as I've had a great time writing her. I also really enjoyed putting in the Luther & Diego bonding, as that was one of my favorite parts of Season 2. How psyched is everyone that TUA has been confirmed for Season 3?! <3  
> Also the scene in the second half of this chapter is basically what made me start writing this fic, along with the one with Patch. Hope you enjoy the chapter!  
> TW: slight non-con touching

Five spent longer than necessary hovering in front of the Academy, pacing up and down the street as he built up the courage to go inside.

He ignored the stares of people watching a frantic schoolkid staring up at the doors of the Academy and muttering to himself, too preoccupied with what was ahead of him.

He needed to talk to his siblings about Harold Jenkins and what he’d found.

Vanya hadn’t been at her apartment when he’d stopped by, and he had no clue where else he could find her. He didn’t know this Vanya enough to know what her day looked like, but maybe Allison would.

When he could no longer make any excuses, he forced himself to walk inside.

There was no point delaying the inevitable.

The Academy was quiet when he entered, but not silent. He could hear the buzz of a low voices from the living room and he made a beeline for it despite the steadily growing dread in his stomach.

There were more important things to worry about right now than his feelings.

Luther, Allison and Klaus were sitting on the couches across from each other, the former two leaning close while the latter was lounging with his feet up on the table. Luther caught sight of him as he entered and his tense posture relaxed somewhat. 

“Five! Where the hell have you been?” he exclaimed, standing up from his spot and alerting the others to his presence. “We were worried about you, no one knew where you went!”

“I was out," Five responded lamely.

He noticed in the corner of his eye that Diego was sitting hunched over the bar with a drink in his hand. He hadn’t moved at Luther’s words, resolutely staring out the window with a blankness that made Five’s gut twist.

“Are you hurt?” Allison asked sternly, following behind Luther. She took him by the shoulders, looking him up and down with a careful eye. At that moment, Five could tell that she was a mother through and through. “What’s wrong with your leg? Is that blood?”

Klaus sidled up to them, reaching out to ruffle Five’ hair playfully.

“See, I told you guys he was okay! Little Fivey’s more resilient than we give him credit for.” He kept his hand there for slightly longer than necessary, before finally dropping it to his side. “You are okay, right?”

“I’m fine. It’s just a graze,” Five said, shifting uncomfortably under the attention.

“A graze?” Allison frowned in disbelief. “The police said you’d been in a shootout with Hazel and Cha Cha. Is that true? How did they even find you?”

“I’m…not sure. They followed me to the police station and confronted us just outside-”

“Us?” she interrupted, looking confused. “Wait, who’s us?”

There was a beat of silence. Luther cleared his throat, glancing between Five and Diego as he searched for the words to explain.

Five wasn’t sure why _Luther_ out of all his siblings seemed to be in the know, but his discomfort meant that he was aware of exactly what had happened. He had clearly not shared the full details with Klaus or Allison, who both looked clueless.

“Uh, yeah. I didn’t mention this before, but Five was with one of the detectives investigating the shootouts when Hazel and Cha Cha showed up. She…um, apparently she was a friend or ex-girlfriend of Diego’s, but…”

He trailed off.

“But what?” Allison asked slowly.

“She’s dead, is what.” 

Diego’s words pierced through their conversation, flat and detached against their low voices. He set the glass against the table softly, but the _clink_ was loud enough to echo across the room in the ensuing silence.

The sound sent a jolt through Five’s body and he tensed, cold sweat breaking out on his skin. He braved a look at his brother, who still hadn’t glanced over at them. Instead he was staring down at his near empty glass.

“You want to tell them how she died, Five?” Diego asked tersely.

Five flinched at the tone, even though it wasn’t harsh at all. Just curt.

“Five? What’s he talking about?”

Allison was looking at him with gentle curiosity. He couldn’t stand it.

He dropped his gaze to his hands, watching as they trembled.

In the distance he could hear the sound of bullets hitting flesh, followed by a body hitting the floor. He envisioned so clearly a limp and lifeless form strewn on the ground, two figures standing over it impassively.

_‘Now go!’_

“Five?”

“I…he means Detective Patch. She was with me when Hazel and Cha Cha found us. She didn’t…they shot her. In the park. She didn’t make it.”

“Oh shit, _that_ detective? The one from Meritech?” Klaus said, eyes widening in understanding. He bit his lip, glancing over at Diego with growing sympathy. “How did…what was she even-”

“She caught me in the records room. I was…looking for something.”

He caught Allison’s stare meaningfully and her eyes widened with realization. She sighed, gaze softening and hands dropping down away from him.

His skin was cold where she had let go of him, but he relished the sting of rejection.

It was what he deserved.

“Oh, Five, I’m so sorry-”

“Why didn’t you _listen_ to me?”

Suddenly Diego was no longer at the bar, he was standing in front of Five, who blinked with surprise at having missed that transition completely.

His brother’s gaze was focused on him and him only. Up close Five could see the redness around his eyes.

It was clear that he had been crying recently.

The sight made Five’s chest tighten, and the defensiveness which had flared inside of him died instantly, along with any words he had been about to say.

“I _told_ you we needed to look into those gunmen at Griddy’s. I _told_ you we needed to take care of Hazel and Cha Cha. They nearly _killed_ us here at the Academy, and they would have kidnapped you!”

He was advancing on Five now, anger injected into every word.

Five’s throat tightened. “That’s not-I wasn’t going ignore them forever, just until I’d figured out what-”

“Maybe we should just all calm down,” Klaus said, arms raised in a placating gesture. “Five couldn’t have known-”

“I was just trying to protect you - you could have fucking died!” Diego snapped, sounding wounded. “ _Eudora_ was trying to protect you, and now she’s-”

Five gasped a shaky, painful breath, and then he was gone. 

His body, just like the night before, pulled him away against his will through space and nothingness. The sight of his siblings, of Diego’s grief stricken expression, distorted and disappeared in front of him in a flash of blue.

He landed outside several feet off the ground, having miscalculated his jump in his haste, and crashed into solid ground painfully a second later. The impact knocked the wind out of him and he lay there gasping from the sharp pain in his head.

 _Coward_ , he thought.

He stared up at the sky for several seconds, panting and gasping for breath as he tried to slow his pounding heartbeat. It felt like spiders were crawling up and down his skin, prickly and painful and _hot_.

He had expected to come back to a Diego livid with anger, ready to ream Five out and blame him for Detective Patch’s death. But Five could see that, despite is brother’s words, Diego didn’t blame him. He wasn’t angry at Five, not in the way that he’d been expecting.

Instead he had been disappointed and heartbroken, and that made it so much worse.

Five forced himself up, standing and staring at the Academy as it loomed over him like a cruel beast. The home he had once been so desperate to get back to suddenly seemed so unwelcoming.

After what felt like an eternity, he walked down the alleyway and away from his home.

Diego’s familiar car was parked only a few feet away, keys still in the ignition. He must have forgotten to take them out in his fit of grief. 

Five knew that the last thing he should do was piss Diego off even more, considering he was probably the man’s least favorite person right now.

There was no doubt in his mind, however, that his brother would immediately go chasing down Hazel and Cha Cha once he’d calmed down. Impulsive, single-minded Diego would be hellbent on avenging Patch’s death, regardless of the danger it put him in.

Five couldn’t allow that. Not when Diego was like this, blind and reckless in his anguish. 

He’d never driven a car before, but millions of people around the world did it every day. How hard could it be?

He blinked into the driver’s seat, twisting the keys to get the car started. It sputtered to life. He shifted it into first gear, working at the pedals until it began to roll forward.

It stalled.

“Come on,” he said, frustration rising in his voice. He tried again, but it stalled almost instantly. “C’mon, you piece of garbage!”

He started the car once more, but the same thing happened.

_“Fuck!”_

With a burst of rage, he punched the steering wheel as hard as he could. He slammed his fist down on it, ignoring the constant blaring of the horn and relishing the sharp pain in his hand as he punched the wheel over and over again.

Diego’s expression, twisted with grief, stayed at the forefront of his mind.

It haunted him, just as much as the sight of Patch’s body hitting the ground lifelessly. 

The Apocalypse was still happening, and Five had failed in his mission to stop it. All he had done was ruin his siblings’ lives just in time for the end of the world and ensure that they would spend their last days in misery.

Luther’s sense of purpose and identity had been destroyed. Diego’s ex was dead. Klaus was still hopped up on drugs. Vanya was spending her days with a creep who was obsessed with the Academy.

Allison was the only Hargreeves sibling who had gotten it right by making plans to leave behind this twisted little non-family and spend her days with her daughter.

He ripped the keys out of the ignition, climbing out of the car and stalking down the alley with no other purpose except to just get away.

As it had done the night before, his body led him back to Griddy’s.

It was the only place other than the mansion which still felt familiar to him after his seventeen years long disappearance. Maybe he could lose himself in coffee and doughnuts to forget about his spiraling mental state. 

He crossed the road, making his way to the entrance before stopping as he caught sight of the payphones next to Griddy’s.

Five hadn’t had the chance to tell the others about Harold Jenkins. He couldn’t bring himself to go back, not if it meant facing Diego again, but he couldn’t wait until tomorrow to tell them.

Every second that Vanya spent with that man put her in danger.

He still had a coin in his pocket and he used it to call the Academy, hoping desperately that anyone other than Diego would pick up.

_“Grace Hargreeves speaking, how may I help?”_

He slumped against the payphone with relief. It was just Grace, he could talk to her.

“Mom,” he said softly. He wanted to say more, but his voice was wobbly and he couldn’t get the words out. Instead he clenched his jaw shut in a effort to stay calm.

“ _Five? Oh, it’s good to hear from you! Your brothers and sister are so worried about you. Will you be joining us for dinner?”_

He rubbed at his eyes. “Uh, no probably not. I doubt I’m very much welcome there at the moment.”

“ _Oh Five, honey, that’s not true. You know you are always welcome here with your family.”_

“Mom, I need-could you put Allison on the phone please?”

“ _Of course, Five. Hold on a moment.”_

He listened as she put the phone down and there was no other sound across the line for several minutes. He strained to hear whether there was any conversation, but either no one was talking or Grace had picked the phone up in an empty room.

When Allison’s voice finally came through, it was somewhat frantic.

“ _Five? Are you okay? Where are you?”_

“Allison, yeah, I’m fine. Sorry I left like that, I just…I couldn’t stay. I’m just outside Griddy’s.”

She sighed heavily, relieved. “ _God no, Five, I’m the one who’s sorry. I shouldn’t have let you go after Leonard. I…it’s what caused all of this in the first place. You’re just a kid and I keep forgetting that you shouldn’t be-”_

“Don’t,” he interrupted. “You couldn’t have stopped me even if you’d tried. It was me. I-shit, I should have listened to Diego. He was right, I stupidly thought that I could ignore Hazel and Cha Cha until later, but I should have taken them more seriously. If I had then Patch wouldn’t be-”

His voice caught in his throat. Letting his head drop against the payphone, he had to bite his lip to stop himself from saying something he might regret.

Allison was quiet for a few moments, before speaking again:

“ _I hope you didn’t take what Diego said seriously, he…he’s just grieving. You know he lashes out. He doesn’t blame you for what happened. He’s been worried about you all day, we all were.”_

“I know, that makes it worse,” Five muttered. “Also don’t tell him, but I took his car keys.”

Distantly, he heard the sound of Griddy’s front door opening. There was a burst of quiet chatter and then it stopped, and he was left in silence once again.

“ _What? Why would you-”_

“I don’t want him going after Hazel and Cha Cha. Not like this, when he’s stupid with anger and not thinking straight.”

“ _That’s…pretty damn smart actually. He’s been tearing the house down looking for them, so that should keep him occupied for tonight,”_ she mused. Five felt a twinge of guilt at the image for Diego storming around the house searching for the keys, but he knew that it was for his own good. “ _Where are you staying? Can you sneak back in tonight?”_

The thought made his stomach churn. “I was going to stay at Vanya’s actually.” He jumped, remembering why he had called in the first place. “Shit, I needed to tell you what I found.”

 _“What you found? Wait…you mean, about Leonard?_ ”

“His name isn’t Leonard,” Five said urgently. “It’s Harold Jenkins. Leonard Peabody is just some sort of alias.”

_“Harold Jenkins? Why would he need an alias?”_

“He’s bad news, Allison. He-”

_“Please insert more coins. One minute remaining.”_

“I-what?” Five stared at the phone, affronted at the interruption before remembering it was a recorded message. Shit. He didn’t have enough coins. “Allison, I’m running out of time on the line and I don’t have any more quarters. Can you come meet me at Griddy’s alone? We need to talk about Jenkins.”

“ _I-okay._ _Sure thing, Five. Just stay safe and wait for me there."_

He hung up, frustrated that he had been cut short by the time limit. Digging his hands into his pockets, he found nothing but pieces of lint and a candy wrapper hidden inside.

He didn’t want to keep relying on Agnes’ goodwill for free food, so hopefully Allison would be able to cover him for a coffee and a snack.

God knows he needed it right now.

He turned to head back towards the entrance of Griddy’s, thinking about Vanya’s empty apartment and hoping that where she was, it wasn’t with Harold.

He managed about two steps before something cracked against his head, blinding pain ripped across his skull, and he lost consciousness.

* * *

It took Five several minutes to realize that he was awake.

His head felt heavy, his mind so fuzzy he could barely understand who or where he was. He peeled his eyes open after a few seconds, a confused groan escaping his lips when in front of him he could only see a blurry, ugly patterned carpet.

His whole body ached and throbbed, and his throat was dry as the desert.

“Wh…wha’s going….” He tried to speak, but his mouth was too numb and only scrambled words came out.

With great effort, he rolled his head back until it thumped painfully against the wall so that he could see where he was.

He was in some sort of motel room, strapped to a chair. It was dark and dingy with two beds and multiple figures standing over him. One of them he had never seen before, but the other two he recognized immediately despite their mask-less appearance.

The bearded man was no doubt Hazel, and next to him with the hair bob and icy glare was Cha Cha.

A spike of panic burst through him, however it was muffled and distant.

He had no idea what he was doing here, but he had to leave _now_.

He tried to gather energy into his hands, but the sensation was disjointed and convoluted. His hand only sparked for a second before the blue energy died completely.

“Now, now, don’t be silly. You can’t possibly think that we wouldn’t have accounted for those pesky little powers of yours, do you?”

The unfamiliar figure spoke, and Five jerked his head painfully to the source of the voice.

The first thing he could see were red high heels, and as he looked up further it revealed an impeccably stylish woman with bleach blonde hair wearing a leather trench coat, an extravagant black hat, and the reddest lipstick he had seen. Her fingers were loosely clasped a long cigarette holder, the end of which was smoking lightly.

Even without knowing who she was, he knew that he needed to put as much distance between them as much as humanly possible.

“Don’t bother trying to teleport out of here, Number Five, you’re drugged up to your eyeballs. I figured it was the only way to have a proper conversation.”

Right, that was why his body felt unbearably heavy. She sounded like she was talking to him through water.

“Who…th’ hell are…you?”

She smiled at him, hungry and calculating. It was the smile of a devil.

“You can call me The Handler. I work for an organization called the Commission, as do Hazel and Cha Cha here.”

“The Commission…what? How did you…even find me…?”

The Handler chuckled. “Fortunately for us, Hazel here has apparently been quite enamored with the food at the establishment where he found you. Griddy’s, was it? He happened to catch sight of you as he was leaving, purely by coincidence.”

Behind her Cha Cha shot Hazel a look, although Five was too drugged to make out what it meant.

“What do you…want?” God, it was like talking through a mouth full of cotton balls.

“What do I want? Well, Number Five, what I want is to offer you a job,” she said breezily, taking a seat on the chair in front of him. This close, the tips of her red heels brushed against his bandaged leg.

He shifted away from her slightly, but was barely able to move due to the ropes tied around his limbs.

“You see, we at the Commission are tasked with the preservation of the time continuum through manipulation and removals. Sometimes people make choices that alter time. Free will and all that. When that happens, we dispatch one of our agents to…eliminate the threat.”

Five squinted, struggling to comprehend the information that she was sharing with him.

The Handler continued, unconcerned.

“We’ve been watching you, Number Five. Your space and time traveling skills would be a priceless asset for the Commission. I’d like to bring you onboard as an agent.”

“Wh-wait, you’ve been watching me?”

“Yes, in the Apocalypse,” she said. “In all honesty I hadn’t intended to reach out to you so soon after landing there. I figured that a few more decades there would hone your survival skills a bit better. Then you found that damn briefcase and well, you pretty much forced our hand!”

She laughed delightedly, a sound which sent a shudder up Five’s spine.

The drugs were still making his limbs feel like lead, however the initial brain fog from waking up was starting to fade away. He tried to process what she was saying, and barely knew where to start.

“If you were watching me…why didn’t you ever help?” he asked slowly, trying not to slur his words. “Why didn’t you stop the Apocalypse from happening?”

“I’m afraid that’s quite impossible. The Apocalypse is always going to happen, is always _meant_ to happen.”

“That’s…crazy,” Five hissed. “The end of everything?”

“Not everything. Just the end of…something,” she mused. A short silence settled over the room as she let him ruminate, before finally putting her hand out expectantly. “So, Number Five. Do we have an agreement?”

He stared at it, completely mystified.

She and her so-called Commission had watched him drop into a barren wasteland, alone and struggling to survive. They had stood by while the world exploded and humanity was wiped out.

How could she possibly think that he would want to join her, knowing it would be the death of his siblings and the world around them?

Five couldn’t express his disdain for her proposal fast enough.

“Go… _fuck_ yourself. I don’t want…your damn job.”

The Handler retracted her hand slowly, her expression hardening.

Both Hazel and Cha Cha shifted slightly on their feet, glancing between Five and The Handler with slight uneasiness. The only thing that could be heard was the faint sound of sirens outside, which came and went by the time The Handler spoke again.

“Would you like a second to re-think your answer?” she asked coolly.

He shook his head. “You can forget it. Not in a million…years.”

She stared down at him for several seconds, her face impassive, before standing up and reaching for a briefcase which was laying on the bed in plain view. In the darkness of the motel room the briefcase had been camouflaged, but now that he saw it he couldn’t believe that he hadn’t noticed its presence since waking up.

His fingers itched to reach out and grab it. If he could just take it, he could solve everything. He could save Patch. He could give himself more time to figure out how to stop the Apocalypse.

He could save his family.

The Handler set to work fiddling with the briefcase lock until she was satisfied with the numbers. She placed it on its side, sliding long fingers around the handle before turning and walking back to him with it by her side.

With a small smirk she reached forward, sliding her fingers against his jaw and running them through his hair. He flinched, his skin prickling with discomfort from where she touched him.

“Oh, Number Five. Sweet, naïve little Number Five,” she said softly, voice tinged with the threat of danger. “I thought it might be a little too early for you. You’re just not…desperate enough. Not broken enough.”

The hand slid down his neck and under his blazer until she was clasping his bare shoulder, long red nails digging painfully into his skin.

She tutted. “I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but I feel you’ve left me with no choice.”

He frowned, not liking where this was going.

“What are you-”

She activated the briefcase.

His breath caught in his throat as he felt that familiar crackling of static and electricity around them, saw a burst of blue in front of him and he was falling, _falling_.

The chair landed on the ground and broke under him, sending his body crashing to the floor and a cloud of dust whirling around him. His head cracked against the floor and his vision whited out for several seconds.

With a groan, he rolled over slowly. The restraints were no longer tightly wound around his wrists. Instead they sat loose against the remnants of the broken chair.

He managed to pull himself upright with great effort, panting from the strain, and looked around him.

The first thing he saw was Dolores.

Her ever present smile was tilted towards him, but the immeasurable joy he felt at seeing her was short-lived.

She was dusty and chipped and sat in a familiar red wagon, surrounded by rubble and dirt and ruins. He stared at the smoky, burning landscape surrounding him and knew he was in a terrible nightmare.

Because it couldn’t be real. He couldn’t be back here.

“No,” he breathed, his voice frantic. His fingers dug into the familiar ashy ground underneath him. “What…what did you…”

The Handler, who had landed perfectly steadily on her feet, paid him no mind. She was humming as she brushed the dust off her coat and sleeves.

Five tried to stand, to roll onto his knees and do _anything_ but his body was paralyzed with terror. His eyes darted frantically around him, however the landscape didn’t change.

The cold bit at his skin mercilessly. The burning ruins didn’t vanish.

He didn’t wake up.

When The Handler spoke again, it was muffled by the white noise rushing through his ears and the pounding of his heart.

“Perhaps you need a bit more time to think my offer through, Number Five, and see just how great of an opportunity this would be for you.” She straightened up, picking up the briefcase and once again fiddling with the combination locks.

“No…” he said, realization dawning on him. “No, no, no-”

“You’re just a little too young to see the big picture, but we can remedy that. A million years is just a _tad_ too long so we’ll make a little compromise. I’m generous like that.”

“Please don’t do this-” His voice was rising, frantic. Desperation clawed at his chest. “No-”

“Should we give it…forty to fifty or so years? How does that sound? You can let me know then if you’ll reconsider my proposal.”

He couldn’t breathe. “No, _please_ , I’ll reconsider-”

She gave him a sly smile and a parting wave.

“Oh, I know you will. We’ll be watching you.” Behind her, a fiery ruin burned bright enough to wrap her in a red and grey glow.

Then she was gone in a flash of blue, leaving behind only a set of heel prints from where she’d been standing and a burning apocalypse in her wake.


	10. And then there were five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all. I knew last chapter would be a big cliffhanger but I still wasn't expecting such an amazing response so I was genuinely overwhelmed. I loved hearing your theories about what might happen next, there were so many good ideas I was seriously re-thinking my plans!  
> This chapter is the longest chapter I've written so far (I'm pretty sure the next one is even longer lol) and it's a bit slower, however I think we need a bit of a reprieve before launching into more angst. I'm super excited for next chapter, and I'm currently working through Chapter 13 right now. Can't believe how quickly I've powered through this fic honestly. 
> 
> TW: Mild drug use

When Klaus had woken up that morning, he had popped into his mouth the only thing he had left in his pocket – a pathetic little half pill of whatever it was he had begged off some homeless guy the other night.

He would need to get another hit sooner rather than later, knowing it would do little to stave off the inevitable comedown from the previous day’s high

For once Ben said nothing about it, too concerned with last night’s events to even notice. 

Diego and Five’s confrontation had been fraught, to say the least.

Klaus still wasn’t entirely sure what had happened. He had been pretty high the entire time and had been paying less and less attention to his family’s drama as the days went on. Ben had been yelling alongside him, urging Klaus to do _something_ and reach out to Five and Diego, until finally their kid brother had simply blinked out of the room.

The dejection on his face had been gut wrenching, but Klaus had to admit he’d been relieved that Five had just left.

Crisis averted, _easy peasy_.

More importantly, it had been enough to calm Diego down and stop freaking out.

Unfortunately Diego had then made the clearly _idiotic_ decision to go after Hazel and Cha Cha himself and stormed out of there, despite all of their protests. To everyone’s relief, he had come storming back into his house only moments later, yelling about lost keys and tearing the place apart searching for them.

Klaus had made himself scarce, ignoring an anxious Ben who had pleaded with him to go find Five.

Screw that noise, he didn’t need his family’s drama.

What he had needed was sweet relaxation, so he had immersed himself into a hot bath, lit some scented candles, and listened to some 90s girl power tunes.

He had caught Allison leaving secretively a while later as he was heading to bed, until only the sounds of Diego swearing and pulling apart drawers could be heard across the house when he fell asleep.

Now, in the cold light of day, Klaus could no longer ignore Ben’s ceaseless nagging.

He was smoking a joint in the living room casually while his ghostly brother was sat glaring at him. Despite the fact that he wasn't saying anything, Klaus felt like it was ruining his relaxation vibe.

“Ugh, what do you want?” he groaned. “You’re like one of those annoying mosquitoes who keeps buzzing around when you’re trying to sleep. You know, the ones which disappear when you turn the lights on, but the moment you think you’re safe and try to go to sleep again then _bam!_ The little bastards are back at it, buzzing around you.”

Ben’s expression twisted in annoyance, however Klaus couldn’t care less.

“What I _want_ is for you to do something to fix all of this.”

“And why is that my responsibility?”

Ben rolled his eyes. “Because I can’t do it myself. Five and Diego _need_ you right now. Sober.”

“What they need is a therapist…or an exorcist,” Klaus muttered resentfully. “In fact, we could all probably use one of those.” He took another puff from the joint and let his head tilt back, enjoying the lightness that accompanied it.

What he wouldn’t give for a little bit of silence, just for one day. Was it too much to ask for just one day of peace and quiet?

Fortunately he was saved from more nagging by the arrival of Diego, who entered the living room looking pissed off and tired, sparing Klaus a cursory glance before he started searching the tabletops.

“Still can’t find your keys?” 

“No.”

Klaus sighed at his abrupt response. “Well, aren’t we talkative today-”

“Klaus,” Ben said, shooting him a warning glance. “Be nice.”

He opened his mouth to retaliate, however at that moment Diego turned towards him and began digging through the cushions.

His brother’s face was tight with misery, eyes red rimmed and puffy and eyebrows pulled down into a scowl. Every movement he made was jerky and needlessly aggressive, and when Klaus looked closer he could see the man’s hands shaking.

He looked exhausted and heartbroken.

A pang of sympathy raced through Klaus and he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Hey man…are you doing okay? I’m sorry about the Detective friend of yours-”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Diego said gruffly.

He pulled up the cushion next to Klaus and threw it on the ground. Klaus stood up to let Diego do the same with his seat, sliding around the couch until he was leaning against the back.

“Look, I know I’m not the most…obvious choice to talk to about feelings, since I tend to deal with them by getting high or whatever. Not that I’m saying you should get high,” he said quickly, ignoring Ben’s exasperated head shake. “What I mean is, I’m here for you, bro. If you need someone to talk to about…about your emotions and all that.”

Diego ignored him, searching through the corners of the couch and practically ripping up the fabric in anger. He cursed when he still found nothing and stood up from where he was kneeling.

Klaus took his silence as a response and flopped onto the now cushion-less seat.

“Oh well, I tried.”

“Klaus, you need to try again,” Ben insisted. “Come on, you’re the only one here.”

Klaus groaned. “Oh come on, I gave it my best shot! Sometimes people just need some time to…contemplate life and stuff, you know? I’m sure he’ll come around.”

Ben opened his mouth, most likely to disagree with him fervently, however he was interrupted by the sudden entrance of Allison and Luther, the former looking frazzled and upset. 

“Oh hey, Allison,” Klaus said, confused by her appearance. “Aren’t you supposed to be on a flight home by now?”

“I didn’t go. Five’s missing.”

“Missing? What does she mean, missing?” Ben asked, glancing between them.

“What the hell do you mean, he’s missing?” Diego said. He was barely paying attention, still rooting through furniture and checking under the carpet. Klaus suspected he knew that the keys weren’t there, but he needed something to do to keep himself distracted.

“I mean he’s gone. We were supposed to meet at Griddy’s last night after the… _argument_ here, but when I showed up he wasn’t there. Luther and I searched all night.” She fished something from her pocket and tossed it over to Diego, who caught it one-handed. “I did, however, find these.”

It was the car keys had been searching for all night. Diego stared at them for a few seconds until realization dawned on him.

“Five took them,” he said. Allison nodded. “Why the hell would he take my car keys?”

“Because he knew that if he didn’t, you’d go chasing down Hazel and Cha Cha like an idiot and get yourself killed,” she retorted. “He was trying to protect you-”

“I’m not a goddamn child. If he wants to go behind my back and-”

“Hazel and Cha Cha took him,” Allison interrupted. Diego’s mouth snapped shut and he straightened up, eyebrows furrowing. “We circled back around to Griddy’s since we couldn’t find him and found the keys a few yards away from the pay phones. When I went to speak to the waitress again, she said that she hadn’t seen Five, but she when she was listing her customers last night she mentioned Hazel by name.”

Klaus and Ben shared an uneasy glance at this revelation.

Klaus had only seen the tail end of the fight with the two assassins, however it had been more than enough to see how dangerous they were. Just the fact that they had fought against the majority of the Umbrella Academy kids and held their ground was a testament to their skill.

Diego slapped his hands against the back of the couch and swore loudly. He was nearly vibrating with agitation as he spoke.

“Those sons of bitches. I’m going to _kill_ them-”

“What’s going on?”

They all froze, turning as one to the source of the noise.

Vanya stood at the entrance of the living room, face carefully blank as she surveyed their little gathering. Standing next to her was a small, unremarkable man with his hands behind his back who observed them with an air of mild interest.

Klaus immediately didn’t like this smug little intruder and the self-satisfied look he was carrying, so he smartly kept his mouth shut while the others seemed to be unsure of what to say.

Finally Allison spoke, and to Klaus’ surprise her voice was taut with unfriendliness.

“It’s a family matter.”

Klaus could see that her steely gaze was directed at the man next to Vanya, who simply met it coolly. To anyone paying attention it was clear that Allison’s hostility was directed solely at the stranger.

Unfortunately, Vanya didn’t seem to have realized this and grimaced in response. 

“A family matter,” she repeated bitterly. “So you couldn’t bother to include me.”

Allison’s eyes widened, having realized her mistake.

“What? No, it’s not like that. We were-”

“Don’t let me interrupt,” Vanya muttered, cutting through Allison’s backtracking and walking past her.

“Vanya-”

“Leave her,” Diego snapped, having lost his patience with the whole exchange. “We have more important shit to worry about now.”

Klaus didn’t miss the hurt glare Vanya shot him before disappearing out the entrance, followed by her companion who shot them all a final smirk.

They left the livin room, and Allison groaned in frustration.

“Shit, we should have gone after her.”

Klaus waved her off. “Eh, she’ll get over it eventually. Maybe in a few years or so. Considering that’s how often we usually see each other, that’s not too bad.”

“It’s not that! Five was looking into that guy who was just here with Vanya. We came across him snooping around her apartment, which we thought was creepy so Five decided to do a little digging,” she explained. She glanced over at Diego, her tone becoming hesitant. “It’s…what he was doing at the police station that night at the park. Five must have been trying to see if he had a criminal record.”

Diego said nothing, scowling resolutely at the wall with his arms crossed.

“Anyway, yesterday when he called me at Griddy’s he told me that the name he uses, Leonard Peabody, is an alias. His real name is Harold Jenkins, and according to Five he’s _‘bad news’_.”

“Bad news? In what way?”

Allison shrugged. “That’s all I got out of him before the line cut off.I don’t know what he wants with Vanya, but it’s nothing good.”

“Well, that sounds cryptic and foreboding,” Klaus piped up. “Why don’t we just tell Vanya that?”

Allison threw her hands up. “Don’t you think I’ve tried that? She’s so defensive about him, she told me to mind my own business. Not to mention we’re the last people she would listen to considering how we’ve treated her in the past.”

She sighed, shaking her head in resignation.

“No. We need solid proof before we can convince her.”

Klaus saw a flash of something moving upstairs, in amongst the balustrades. A shape or a shadow, lingering and quick until it disappeared out of sight.

When he glanced up to see what it was however, there was nobody there. He turned to Ben, wondering whether the drugs he was on making him hallucinate.

“Hey, did you see that too?” he asked softly. Ben’s eyes were narrowed as he gazed upstairs, but the minute nod was enough for Klaus to know he hadn’t been alone in seeing that. “Maybe it was Pogo?”

“Maybe,” Ben responded, but from the troubled look on his face he clearly didn’t think that was likely.

* * *

In the end they agreed to split up and search for Five.

Luther and Allison decided to go back to Griddy’s to speak with the waitress, as well as try to find any other potential witnesses who might have spotted him. When Allison suggested that Hazel and Cha Cha were likely to be visitors to the City and would need somewhere to stay, Diego and Klaus agreed to hit up any hotels or motels in the area.

Well, Diego agreed while Klaus simply shrugged passively. He could feel Ben’s glare burning into the back of his head, however he was used to that now after this many years.

In fact, he would probably be more worried if Ben _wasn_ _’t_ irritated with him for one reason or another.

Luther and Allison had headed off, taking Allison’s car and agreeing to call if they found anything. Grace would be their information hub for any updates should either of the pairs manage to gather any clues.

Diego had barely spared Klaus a second glance, announcing that he was heading upstairs to get another set of knives and that Klaus _‘better still be here’_ when he returned.

That left Klaus and Ben alone in the living room once again, which was enough of a tribulation in itself that Klaus decided it was high time to make himself a drink. He was no longer riding high from the pill he took earlier that morning, and needed something else to take the edge off.

“Do you think Five’s okay?” Ben asked once Diego’s footsteps were no longer in earshot. He was sitting on the barstool, jiggling his knee anxiously while Klaus busied himself making a cocktail.

Their father had always kept the bar well stocked, the only thing he’d even done right in Klaus’ opinion.

He loved to make full use of it whenever he was at home and whip up as many ridiculous concoctions as possible. It didn’t need to taste good, it simply needed to get him wasted as soon as possible.

“Oh Ben, you sweet, simple fool,” Klaus remarked with dramatic exasperation. “The child is a slippery teleporting little rascal. We’re probably just running around like headless chickens while he’s off lollygagging around some playground.”

“Lollygagging? Seriously, Klaus?” Ben crossed his arms.

Cocktail now expertly mixed, Klaus popped a little pink umbrella into his drink along with a straw, and took a delicate sip. The sweet liquid poured down his throat and he resisted the urge to grimace.

He hadn’t mixed that particularly well.

“It means to-”

“I know what it’s means,” Ben said. “I just don’t get why you’re not taking this more seriously. Five could be in the hands of those…crazy assassin guys and you’re here making cocktails!”

“I am taking this _incredibly_ seriously-”

A knock on the door interrupted them and they turned in unison towards the entrance. As if it proved his point, Klaus gestured theatrically towards the door and swung around, spilling half of his drink down his arm. He made his way to the door, Ben following close behind.

“See? That’s probably Five coming back from his wild night out. Fifty bucks says he scored last night.”

“Klaus, he’s fourteen-”

Klaus opened the door, and Ben’s voice died down in shock.

Standing in the doorway was a bearded man in a suit holding a gun in one hand and a briefcase in the other. The firearm was pointed directly at Klaus’ chest, although the man holding it looked somewhat too relaxed to be murderous.

Even though he wasn’t wearing a mask, Klaus instantly recognized one of the attackers from the other night. Either Hazel or Cha Cha, he couldn’t be sure. It didn’t really matter at this point.

He slammed the door shut, chucking the cocktail across the room and flattening himself against the wall. The glass shattered, splashing alcohol everywhere and painting the wall a thin blue.

“Oh, shit!” he hissed, staring wide-eyed at Ben who looked equally as scared. “Oh, _shit!_ What do we do?” 

“ _I don_ _’t know, I don’t know_! What do you think he even wants?”

There was another knock at the door. Louder and more forceful this time.

“No one’s home!” he called out, however it didn’t seem to deter the assassin.

“Klaus, he _literally_ just saw you-”

 _“Could you open up? It’s Hazel. I’m not here to fight.”_ The disembodied voice of Hazel floating through the wall sounded exasperated more than anything. “ _I just want to talk._ _”_

Perhaps it was the lack of urgency or aggression in his voice, however strangely enough he sounded sincere in his intentions.

“Oh, right…well,” Klaus said, standing up from his previous position tentatively. “In that case, I guess I can let you in?”

“Klaus, what are you-”

Ignoring Ben, he reached out to open the door again, coming face to face with a slightly surprised Hazel.

“Sorry about that, thought you were here to murder me. Would you like a drink?” Klaus asked airily. “I seem to have dropped mine in my panic at coming face to face with my brother’s attempted assassins.”

To his sweet relief, Hazel was no longer pointing the gun at him. He took this as a sign that the man truly wasn’t interested in fighting and swivelled around so he could head back to the bar. His interest in this entire conversation would stay relatively light unless he had something to help fight his growing comedown.

Hazel followed behind him, and when Klaus took his place at the bar the man simply stood there with a bemused expression.

“That was…a lot easier than I thought it would be,” he admitted, setting his briefcase down on the table next to him. “Do you always invite people who have tried to murder you into your house without question?”

Klaus shrugged, reaching for a bottle of vodka and coffee liqueur. He began to mix the drink indiscriminately without any concern for the fact that most of the liquid was splashing down the front of the bar.

“Well, last time you and your partner just gate crashed and gunned the place down. I figure that if you’re knocking on the door, you probably aren’t looking for a fight.”

He could hear the sound of footsteps, loud but quick, and knew Diego was only seconds away from entering. He could only imagine what his brother would do upon seeing Hazel in the room.

This would be entertaining.

“So, Hazel, my fine fellow,” he began, loud enough to cover the sound of the footsteps and distract the assassin. “What could you possibly want with our dysfunctional little family? Also do you happen to know where Five is? The little troublemaker has slipped from our grasp.”

Hazel hesitated, shifting uncomfortably.

“Yes, well, about that…” he began.

Klaus’ heart dropped into his stomach, worry gripping him at the expression on Hazel’s face.

He had thought that Allison was being paranoid, that Five was just off on his own little Apocalypse driven adventure like he had been the past few days. After all, Five had always been the most flighty one of their family, randomly blinking away for hours on end and returning with no explanation as to where he had been.

It hadn’t occurred to him that Five might actually be in trouble.

“What did you do to him?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. He set his drink down on the bar with more force than necessary. “You didn’t hurt him did you? Because I swear to god, if you did-”

“ _You son of a bitch!_ _”_

Whatever threat that he was going to make, which he didn’t even know himself, was interrupted as a furious Diego went barrelling into Hazel from behind.

They both went toppling down onto the ground in a heap, making Klaus and Ben jump back in shock.

Hazel, winded, barely had a moment to recover before Diego kicked him solidly across the face. He grunted, grabbing Diego’s foot and twisting it, throwing him off balance.

“Wait, Diego, stop!” Klaus yelled frantically, jumping up from his seat and flapping his arms around as he tried to figure out how to separate the two of them. 

Diego ignored him. He rolled over swiftly, launching himself off the ground, ripping his knife out of its clasp and jamming it into Hazel’s leg with considerable force. Hazel screamed through gritted teeth, punching him hard enough to send him sprawling back.

He ripped the knife out with a curse as Diego flipped himself back up to a standing position.

“I’m gonna _kill_ you, you bastard!”

The two of them continued to trade punches, both of them barely phased by the hits with Diego entirely focused on murder while Hazel held his defensive position with relative ease.

“Christ, stop hitting him!” Klaus yelped.

Finally Diego managed to wrap an arm around Hazel’s neck, holding him in a tight headlock until the assassin began to wheeze for breath.

Klaus grabbed Diego’s jumper, pulling at it with all his strength but he didn’t budge an inch.

“Diego, let _go_!”

“Why the hell should I?” Diego growled, his jaw clenched with effort. His eyes were wide and frenzied as he squeezed his grip even tighter while Hazel gasped for breath. “He killed Patch! He murdered her-”

“He knows where Five is!” Klaus interrupted desperately. “He said-he said…”

He found himself lost for words, because Hazel hadn’t really said _anything_ about Five yet. Klaus had just assumed, but he knew in his gut that if Hazel died now, then their hope of finding Five would be lost.

He pulled harder at the fabric until his knuckles turned white.

“If y-you kill me, you won’t find Five,” Hazel rasped. His cheeks were turning red and bright as he choked, however he was grasping at Diego’s arm hard enough to ease the grip on his neck. “I’m the only one who’ll help you find him.”

A intense battle of wills flashed over Diego’s face as he stared down at the gasping Hazel. His arm was bulging from the exertion and for several moments Klaus thought he might not actually concede.

Diego tensed minutely, before finally releasing his grasp on the assassin and stepping back.

Hazel dropped to the floor, putting a hand to steady himself and gasping in huge breaths while the other man roared and flung a knife into the wall.

“ _Fuck!_ ”

He kicked a barstool hard enough to send it flying against the bar in a clatter of noise. He stared at it for a second, fists clenched by his side and chest heaving, until finally he turned and advanced on Hazel. Jamming a finger into Hazel’s shoulder, he spoke:

“You have thirty seconds to convince me why the hell I shouldn’t beat your ass to death, you son of a bitch. Start fucking talking.”

Hazel stood up back to his full height, towering over Diego and Klaus easily, however he seemed uninterested in antagonizing Diego further. Without further protest, he spoke:

“My partner and I work for an organization called the Temps Commission, which transcends time. Our main goal is to preserve the timeline, whether it’s through manipulation or by removals, to ensure that their choices don’t trigger a deviation from that timeline.”

Klaus knew without looking that his brothers were equally as lost as he was.

Hazel continued, unphased by their nonplussed expressions. “Cha Cha and myself are simply field agents, sent to different points in the timeline to complete missions. Sometimes they can be as simple as interrupting someone before they complete an action or protecting them from danger, other times it can be a little more complicated. Assassinations are a common task field agents are given.”

“Is that what Patch was? An assassination?” Diego rasped, his voice dangerously low.

Hazel’s brow furrowed.

“Who?”

Klaus was fortunately standing close enough to Diego to grab him just in time, as the man lurched forward undoubtedly to beat the shit out of Hazel for a second time.

“Patch, you goddamn shithead!” Diego snapped, struggling against Klaus’ hold. “The detective you gunned down in the park, my friend, and one of the best goddamn people I knew! _Was she an assassination?_ ” He was still clearly holding himself back somewhat, since if he’d wanted to he would have broken out of Klaus’ grip within an instant.

Despite the pain in his brother’s voice, Klaus was grateful for the restraint. He was no match for Diego on a good day, never mind when he was out of his mind with grief.

“Oh,” Hazel said, looking slightly abashed. “No, she wasn’t. Our mission since arriving was to capture Five, and unfortunately she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. My partner Cha Cha killed her.”

“Why did your…Commission or whatever want you to capture Five?” Klaus asked. Diego shoved him off roughly, trudging over to the bar and settling himself down on one of the barstools. “He’s just a kid, what could they possibly want with him? Boy Scout cookies?”

“Just a kid who can time travel, and who _did_ time travel seventeen years ago. As you can imagine, that caught the eye of some of the higher ups in the organization. If you can picture the chaos in the workplace when it was flagged that a kid jumped himself into the Apocalypse, boy was that a day to remember!” Hazel said, chuckling at some unseen memory.

The atmosphere turned to one of shock, as Klaus and Diego exchanged disbelieving glances.

“Wait…” Klaus said. “So the Apocalypse stuff he was saying, that was real?”

“Oh yes, you didn’t think so?” Hazel asked, as if what he were talking about the weather. “The world is ending on April 1st. I don’t know the cause, however I do know that Five was getting uncomfortably close to the truth, which is why the Commission pushed us to up the stakes the other night and we hunted him down in public. Usually we try to keep a lower profile.”

Diego scoffed. “Oh yeah, you guys are real subtle.”

“Regardless, it’s all true. In just a few days everything you see will be wiped out and all that’s left is…well, from what I’ve heard, desolate nothingness. I haven’t seen it myself, but it’s a pretty infamous event so most people have a vague idea.”

Desolate nothingness. That sounded…disturbing.

Klaus tried to picture it in his mind, tried to imagine Five landing there all those years ago when he had time travelled so impulsively, but he couldn’t conjure up a picture of ‘ _desolate nothingness_ ’.

How could he? In truth he had no understanding of what the Apocalypse was, but it didn’t sound like a fun place for a kid.

“As fascinating as all of this is, could you get to the point?” Diego interjected once again. He had a glass in his hand, which Klaus hadn’t seem him pour for himself. He must have been zoning out once again. “So you…Commission agents or whatever, were after Five. Why? And where the hell is he now?”

“I work for a woman called The Handler, who showed a keen interest in giving Five a job at the Commission. As you can imagine, his skills would be truly indispensable at an organization like ours. However, a condition would be for him to let the Apocalypse happen, the way it was meant to be.”

“Five would never go for that.”

“You’re right about that. From what I understood, the original plan was to approach him around forty or so years after he landed in the Apocalypse where he would be more likely to accept the offer. Obviously he managed to make his own way back, so any leverage she had over him was gone. We…well, _I_ managed to catch him outside of Griddy’s and when The Handler came down to make her offer, he essentially told her to fuck off.”

Klaus beamed, pride ballooning in his chest.

“That sounds like our Five, alright.”

“As you can imagine, The Handler was not very pleased with his response so she decided to go back to the original plan.”

Klaus and Diego exchanged glances.

“Wait,” Diego said, realization dawning. “By original plan, you mean…”

Hazel nodded grimly. “She dropped him back into into the Apocalypse.”

They could have heard the sound of a pin dropping.

The fear that gripped Klaus’ chest was unlike anything that he had felt before, and he struggled to breathe through it.

Five. Their little brother, Five, was _back_ in the Apocalypse. The same Apocalypse which he had been so valiantly trying to stop, that had left him starving and dirtied and shell shocked when he had landed in their living room less than a week ago.

Klaus could remember vividly the night in the infirmary after Griddy’s, when Five had blurted out his truth to them after Pogo had stitched him up.

He had laid there on the bed looking tired and skinny, and Klaus had thought he was delusional. Even later, when the idea of the Apocalypse had seemed more tangible and real, it had barely made a dent in his list of priorities.

He had fucked up immensely.

Whether it was from the chemical depression brought on by his comedown or the guilt crashing upon him in waves, he felt his body begin to tremble.

“Shit,” he breathed, running a hand through his hair. “ _Shit_ , Ben, we’ve fucked up.”

He saw Ben’s ghostly hand hovering over his shoulder, too many years of experience stopping him from actually making non-existent contact.

The hand dropped, but Ben’s expression was a reflection of his own.

As he looked over to Diego, the man’s face was carefully blank, but he could see a the tightness in his lips and the way his eyes bore holes into the bar top. The distress radiating off of him was palpable.

“So what, he’s in the future then?” Diego said after a few seconds of silence, the waver in his voice barely hidden. “What does that…what do we do? Is he alive?”

The burning question that haunted all of their minds.

“I don’t know,” Hazel admitted, looking genuinely apologetic. “But if he survived it the first time, I’m sure he can do it again.”

“Can we get him back?”

Hazel reached behind him, grabbing the briefcase which was lying on the table and moving forward to the bar until he was by Diego’s side. All concern about Diego attacking him was now forgotten.

Klaus quickly moved forward so he could see as well, putting his hands on the bar top and staring at the case with intense curiosity. It was identical to the one that Five had brought with him to Griddy’s, the very same one that Klaus had used as a shield from the bullets of the first set of gunmen who had tried to assassinate them.

“There is a way,” Hazel said slowly. “The only way, actually. Commission agents use these briefcases to travel into different points in the timeline. From what I understand, your brother stumbled across a briefcase that had been accidentally left in the Apocalypse, and used it to travel back to this time. If someone could go into the future, they could find Five and bring him back.”

“So you want us to…time travel into the future? Into an Apocalypse?”

Klaus swallowed. “That’s…”

What could he even say? Crazy? Suicidal? Apparently the only way they could get their brother back?

“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” Diego asked, suspicion coloring his voice. It made Klaus realize that he hadn’t even questioned Hazel’s reason for being here. The man seemed so genuine, there hadn’t been a doubt in Klaus’ mind that he wanted to help them. “Why are you even helping us?”

“Let’s just say I have a vested interest in a doughnut shop.”

It meant nothing, but it was good enough for them.

“I’ll do it.” Diego’s voice left no room for argument or discussion. Any residual hatred he had for Hazel was clearly buried for now, at least temporarily, as he stared at him only with resolute determination.

“Me too,” Klaus said.

“I’m coming too,” Ben said.

“Ben says he’s coming too.”

Diego nodded, his eyes searching around the room. “Awesome.”

Hazel looked slightly bemused by the mention Ben however he didn’t comment.

“Good. Then we need to get started, we don’t have a lot of time.”

* * *

The next half an hour was a blur.

According to Hazel, although it wasn’t much of a surprise, the Apocalypse was scarce on food and fresh water. Initially, Diego had questioned why they would even need any supplies with them.

“Can’t you just drop us where Five is?” he asked impatiently.

“Unfortunately not. I have no idea where The Handler left him, although I can make an educated guess. Even with it being practically redundant due to the world ending and Five being just one person, she would have wanted to create as few ripples as possible to preserve the timeline. She likely would have left him in the exact place and time he was in when he travelled back.”

“Which is…where?”

“Again, I don’t know.”

Diego decided to go back upstairs and pack some clothes for them, not trusting Klaus to pick out a wardrobe which would help them survive the potentially harsh weather.

Klaus had set to work packing their food, grabbing two large backpacks and filling them with the most long lasting foods. His time on the streets had made him pretty well-versed in which foods were most likely to survive without rotting.

As he settled into the kitchen to begin picking out their rations however, Grace entered and picked up one of the bags.

“Klaus, please, let me help you,” she said kindly. “I know where everything is, which should make it much quicker. What do you need?”

“Oh thanks, Mom,” Klaus said. “Could you pack anything which could help us survive in an apparent wasteland with no food or fresh water? Think zombie apocalypse and go from there.”

“Why of course. Are you going on a trip?”

“We’re going to rescue Five,” Klaus responded.

She nodded, completely unperturbed by his vivid and strange request. “That’s nice. Let me handle the packing, and you just go and get ready for your rescue mission.”

As he was about to leave, he spotted something on her arm.

The skin on her wrist had been sliced open and stitched up again expertly, something which he definitely hadn’t seen before today.

“Mom, what-who did this to you?”

“Master Klaus, I believe I can answer your question.”

Klaus turned, jumping at the sudden interruption. He saw Pogo standing at the doorway, smiling at him gently.

“Pogo?”

“I had a little…tinker with your mother’s hardware, and managed after a time to fix the degradation that had occurred. She should very much be the Grace that you all know and love,” he explained. “One of the few steps I intend to take, hopefully to compensate for the part that I have played in causing you and your siblings so much pain during your childhoods.”

Klaus bit his lip, feeling touched by the gesture.

He had never held Pogo’s actions against him, maybe because in contrast to their father it had always seemed so much smaller. Reginald would have done the things he had done with or without Pogo to help him.

It didn’t mean he was blameless, but for Klaus there were just so many other things to worry about.

“Thanks, Pogo. Seriously,” he said with genuine gratitude.

Grace was already rummaging through the shelves efficiently and humming when he threw her a final glance, before running out of the kitchen and back to the living room.

He met up with Diego, who was carrying a few folded clothes and a utility belt packed with knives under his arms. His brother dropped them onto the couch, before frowning at him.

“Where are the backpacks? I thought you were getting us rations.”

“Mom’s packing them,” Klaus said. “She’s…well again. Pogo fixed her. She’s back to being Mom again.”

Something shifted in Diego’s expression, and he looked away quickly although Klaus caught a flash of his eyes shining.

“God, what a fucked up day,” he heard Diego mutter, but he chose not to comment on it. He knew that the man was already struggling with multiple emotions.

Diego cleared his throat loudly, looking at Hazel who was sitting on the barstool. He had been waiting patiently for them, sipping away at a drink.

“Right. We just need the bags and we’ll be ready. What do we have to do?”

Hazel wasted no time in standing up and presenting the briefcase to them. He pointed at the combination lock on the front.

“Okay. You see these? These are just the dates for when you want to land in the future, and the time for which you land is determined on a side lock which you can see here. When you find Five, you need to set the date to today and preferably on the next hour. The longer the briefcase is missing in this time, the more danger there is of Cha Cha getting suspicious and hunting me down.”

He reached up to set his thumb on the combination lock, before looking at them questioningly.

“I’m assuming neither of you know the exact date that Five landed here, however we can at least try to get it as close as possible. Do you know how long he was in the Apocalypse?”

Once again, the room fell into uncomfortable silence.

Klaus looked at Diego and Ben, and felt his stomach sink when he realized that none of them were ready with a confident answer.

“Shit, he told us. I know he did,” Diego said. He thought for a second, glaring at the floor. “I think it was eight months?” 

“No, I feel like I was nine months or something,” Klaus muttered although he sounded about as confident as he felt. “Or five months?”

“It was more than half a year,” Ben supplied somewhat helpfully.

The look of despair that they all shared was gut-wrenching, and Klaus struggled to swallow the remorse that had been churning in him for a while now.

Why hadn’t he been paying more attention? Hindsight was a bitch.

“Ben said it was more than half a year, but we know it’s less than a full year because he kept mentioning months. I feel like it was a single digit number?”

“It was definitely less than ten months, or just slightly over…fuck, why can’t we remember?” Diego said, cursing under his breath as he ran his fingers through his hair in an obvious effort to calm himself down. It clearly wasn’t working as he stood up and began to pace agitatedly back and forth.

Klaus desperately wished he had a cigarette with him right now.

“I mean, why don’t we just go to the day he landed in the Apocalypse and pick him up there? Save little Fivey all the grief of being there in the first place, you know?” he asked, gesturing towards the briefcase.

“I would advise against that,” Hazel said. “I have very little knowledge of how time travel works since I don’t program the briefcases, however every instance of time travel will create new timeline with potential repercussions. If you find him before he finds the original briefcase and jumps back to 2019, then you would potentially erase your own memories of the Apocalypse and endanger the mission. No, we need you to land _after_ he lands with The Handler. It’s the safest option.”

“But we don’t even freaking know when he even landed!” Klaus exclaimed, sliding back against the couch in frustration. “We literally know it was longer than six months but shorter than a year. That’s a ridiculously big window of time.”

“Then you’ll have to go in at a year. April 1st 2020\. Plenty of time to be 100% sure that it’s the right Five you’re meeting.”

Hazel picked up the briefcase and began to set the date on the combination lock, much to their collective shock.

“Wait, what?” Klaus spluttered. “But, what if Five was only there for six months? That means he’ll have to be there for…six more months!”

“Not happening,” Diego snarled, reaching out to slam his hand on the briefcase. The movement made Hazel pause as he met Diego’s gaze with calm resolve. “Like hell we’re leaving Five there for _months_. He could die in that time! He could…he could lose hope or something-”

“You don’t have a choice,” Hazel interrupted. “If you go in too early, the only way you’ll know you’ve made a mistake is by finding Five and asking him. If that happens…you’d have to leave him where he is and jump even further into the future. Is that something you’d want to do?”

The intense battle of wills lasted for what felt like an eternity, until finally Diego let his hand drop as he stepped back with a grim expression.

None of them had anything further to say, which made Klaus all the more grateful when Grace showed up with the backpacks in hand looking cheerful as always.

“Here you go, boys! I’ve packed all that you need to survive the Apocalypse, and a few extras as well,” she said, putting a backpack in each of their hands. Klaus thanked her, opening the bag to double check the contents. “That should last you a week each, maybe two if you ration it properly. Also, I got you these jackets, in case you need to protect yourself from the harsh weather. Stay safe, okay?” She handed them two warm coats.

“Thanks, Mom,” Diego said, voice tight with emotion.

“You’re welcome, Diego,” she said, flashing him a brilliant smile. “When you see Five, make sure he wraps up. You know how much he forgets to take care of himself.”

“We will.”

When she left them, Diego took the clothes he had brought down with him and back them into the backpacks, his head down in a clearly deliberate motve to avoid speaking to either of them.

When they were finally ready, they each strapped the backpacks on and looked at each other with resolve.

It only now occurred to Klaus was he had volunteered himself to do. Time travel into an apparent future desolate wasteland where humanity had been wiped out, with only a briefcase as a hope of return. If they lost the briefcase or damaged it, they would likely be trapped forever.

“We’re ready,” Diego said.

Hazel picked up the briefcase, as well as a note that he handed to Diego.

“Put those numbers into the briefcase when you find Five; it’s today’s date and half an hour from now.”

Diego placed the note in his pocket, listening intently. Hazel continued.

“I’ve removed the tracker from the briefcase, but the Commission will be flagged the moment the unregistered trip is made. Since this is a trip into the Apocalypse then I highly doubt it will go unnoticed. If The Handler finds out, she’ll send Commission agents to kill you on sight. She won’t be able to locate you without the tracker, so she’ll send them to the last place she sent Five. If he hasn’t moved from there it means the closer you get to him the more likely they’ll find you.”

“How the hell do we even find Five?”

Hazel shrugged. “That’s up to you to figure out. If you run out of food or water then you can always come back, but I can’t let you take the briefcase twice. More than one unregistered trip from a single briefcase and the Commission will send agents flooding into this timeline to hunt it down, and it won’t be long until they find us. You’ve got this one chance.”

“Well, that’s comforting,” Klaus said sarcastically.

“It’s not meant to be.”

Hazel hesitated, before handing Diego the briefcase.

“You need to be holding onto each other, and then you just squeeze this button within the handle. I’ve set the location to this exact place in the future since it’s probably the best place to start, and could be a good potential place for Five to be since it’s his home.”

They settled into a nerve-wracking silence, while Klaus felt electricity running up and down his arms. He was nervous, and he was scared.

Diego reached out to grip his hand tightly without a word of complaint. Klaus could see the steely determination on his face, and he knew that there was a ticking time bomb of problems brewing underneath his brother’s exterior that he didn’t want to think about right now.

“Is Ben holding on?” Diego asked, his voice wavering ever so slightly.

Was it from fear? Klaus had no doubt.

Ben’s hand was on his shoulder, even though he couldn’t feel it. They sight of it made something in his chest tighten, and Klaus drew upon a strange, deep feeling inside of him.

He let it swell up inside until for a second he could almost feel Ben’s hand on his shoulder. The pressure was so slight he wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but he met Ben’s gaze and was surprised to see his brother smiling at him.

He smiled back.

“He is. We’re ready.”

They looked at Hazel, who stepped back to give them space. He looked down at his watch and back at them.

“I’ll see you guys soon. Don’t forget what I’ve told you – you’ve got one chance only. Good luck.”

Klaus felt Diego’s hand tighten around his, and they locked gazes. It was the only warning he got before Diego squeezed the handle tight, and Klaus was pulled into the void.


	11. The day that was apocalyptic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of your comments and for sticking with this story so far. So last week I announced that last chapter was the longest, and now I realize that the below chapter has grown into a massive 9.5k+ words lol. Apparently I just really love the Diego & Klaus dynamic too much. I also got overly excited exploring the actual Apocalypse survival aspect of this story. 
> 
> I don't want to spoil the chapter too much, so I've added trigger warnings at the bottom for anyone who needs them.

After so many years on the streets, Klaus had experienced all kinds of shocking awakenings.

He had woken up to random people shaking him, asking what the hell he was doing in their house. He had woken up to a dog biting his leg and trying to drag him away like a bone. He had often woken up in crack houses to some stranger patting through his pockets and trying to find anything of value, or in an alleyway after a night of dumpster diving looking for anything he could sell to get his next hit.

The drugs he had done had often given him vivid nightmares, and the feeling of being jolted out of those nightmares into a random situation was often accompanied by a sense of disorientation and relief. No matter what strange situation he woke up in, it was usually better than the drug fuelled nightmares of the mortuary that would accompany his sleep on most nights.

Landing in the Apocalypse was like a complete reversal of one of those awakenings.

He felt like he had been jolted from a strange and vivid situation, and thrown directly into a waking nightmare.

He landed, unlike Diego, on his ass with his eyes staring straight up at the sky.

At least, he thought it was the sky. It was so unbelievably smoky that he almost felt like he was looking at a big, grey blanket for several moments.

The greyness was tinged with red and black, and only once he lifted himself up slightly did he realize that it was the embers and ash of fires burning in the distance. Every breath he took was filled with smoke, like breathing in the smoke from a cigarette but ten times worse.

Wasteland was without a doubt the most apt word for what he was seeing around him now.

It was practically _barren_.

Not a living person in sight, just rubble and stones, ash and fire, smoke and burnt items all around them into the horizon. As Klaus took in the world around him, he suddenly realized that he could also see corpses strewn around the place.

Not vast numbers of them, but without a doubt there were numerous burnt corpses scattered around the roads and the streets as far as his eyes could see.

“Holy shit.”

The voice jolted him out of his stupor, and he turned to see a shell shocked Ben staring out into the vastness around them. His immediate feeling was of relief that Ben had managed to follow them into the future. It helped him to know that he wasn’t the only person existing in this harsh burning wilderness right now.

He could see Diego looking around them, face contorted in horror and disbelief. He was clutching the briefcase close to him as if it were a life preserver. 

“This is the Academy,” he said finally, after several minutes of silence. “Hazel said we’d land in the same place.”

Klaus looked around them, and in his mind’s eye he could begin to sketch out a somewhat haphazard floorplan. He recognized the charred pieces of furniture and the walls around them, even the broken and burned door which had fallen off its hinges and the frame of the front entrance.

Diego was right. It _was_ the Academy. 

“Jesus…it’s all gone,” Klaus whispered, a deep sense of loss carving into his body. They were a year ahead, however this would apparently happen to them in just a few days’ time. Everything they’d even known and loved, completely gone.

The Academy, their childhood home, razed to the ground. Burned to ash like the rest of the world around them.

With unspoken agreement they began to search the Academy for Five, or any clues as to his whereabouts.

Klaus picked through the rubble, recognizing small things such as trinkets or furniture or clothing. There wasn’t a single object that wasn’t covered in ashes or broken.

He found the painting of Five that had stood on the mantelpiece since his disappearance, half destroyed and wilting in its frame. When he reached over to pick it up, smoothing it back, he could see Five’s soot covered face staring back at him.

Even though Klaus had thought that the painting had never truly captured Five’s spirit, had always given him a smug and callous expression that was more akin to Reginald’s impression of Number Five, the sight of it blackened and damaged was difficult to swallow.

He wondered if this is how they would find Five, destroyed beyond repair.

Placing the painting to one side he continued his search, calling out for Five occasionally to no avail.

He heard Diego doing the same, his yells usually followed by a round of coughing. Klaus was also finding it difficult to breathe the smoky air in, and after a while gave up on talking since it was only burning his throat.

Amongst the rubble he also found Grace, her face half-crushed by the ceiling which had crumbled upon her and her hardware exposed. She had died with her usual smile painted brightly on the side of her face which hadn’t been damaged, a sight so dismal that he had to hold back a few tears.

“Don’t tell Diego,” he muttered to Ben, who simply nodded his head. His eyes were also suspiciously glassy and he had been quiet since arriving.

Finally they conceded defeat, walking out to the front of the Academy until they were standing up at the entrance.

Diego pulled out two scarves from his bag and handed one to Klaus, who accepted it gratefully and wrapped it around his face. The relief was immediate. Even through he felt like he was breathing his own hot breath, it was better than the smoky dust which was burning his lungs at every inhale.

“Fivey’s not here,” he said resignedly.

Diego grunted, his eyes searching the streets.

“Where the hell can we even look?” Klaus continued, gesturing uselessly around him. “He could be anywhere right now. Hell, he might not even have been at the Academy when he found the briefcase. If he’s been here for a year…that’s…he could be hundreds of miles away!”

The hopelessness of the situation struck him then.

How the hell were they going to find Five in this wasteland?

“I know,” Diego said irritably, his voice muffled by the scarf. “We’re just going to have to pick a direction and go with it. We don’t have a choice.”

His tone left no room for argument, and Klaus was reminded again of Diego’s rank as Number Two and his constant battle with Luther for leadership over the team.

As hopeless as they both were, they were better at leading than Klaus so he would happily follow Diego’s lead right now.

“Yeah, okay,” he said, deflated.

With one last look at the Academy, they set off towards the more populated areas of the city. Diego had anticipated that more buildings meant more potential for shelter and food, which they agreed that Five would have likely search for initially.

The walk through the apocalyptic land was dreary and haunting. They never went more than five minutes without seeing a burned corpse, splayed out on the ground or buried under concrete. Occasionally they could see insects such as maggots and cockroaches crawling in and out of the rotting flesh of the bodies.

It made Klaus sick, but he just averted his gaze and continued on without mentioning it.

Although April should have brought a gentle breeze and pleasant weather, all he could feel was the suffocating dust. It wrapped around him like a blanket he couldn’t shake off, warming him against his will and squeezing at his chest.

“Goddamn, it’s so _ashy_ in this place,” he wheezed, finally breaking the silence. “It’s like someone had a bonfire on the world.”

Diego, who was scanning the buildings, jumped down from the pile of rubble he had been standing on. His face was already greyed with dust, and the once pristine scarf also ruined. He picked up the briefcase from where he had left it next to Klaus.

“Yeah, no kidding,” he said. “Just what the hell happened here?”

“Global warming? House party gone wild?”

Diego grimaced. “Looks more like a zombie apocalypse or a nuclear war. Didn’t Five say something about a guy with a glass eye? Wonder how he plays into this whole thing.”

“Maybe he starts the nuclear war?” Klaus speculated. He blinked back the dirt in is eye, wishing he’d brought some eyedrops with him. “Can you believe Five’s been living here for a year?”

He couldn’t imagine Five, just a kid and alone, wandering around this hellscape and breathing in this _goddamn air_ for months on end. Klaus had only been here for less than two hours and he couldn’t wait to get the hell out of this place.

Something in Diego’s face hardened at the mention of Five, and he simply turned away without a word.

Okay, they would need to talk about _that_ later.

“Klaus!”

He jerked his head up at the sound, and in the distance he could see Ben standing on top of a crumbling wall.

Their ghostly brother had gone scouting ahead of them to find signs of Five, since he had been easily able to run around without choking on the thick air. He had disappeared for a while, however now he was gesturing down to a spot that Klaus couldn’t see. 

“Ben, shit, did you find Five?” Klaus asked, eyes widening. Diego was glancing between Klaus and the spot where he clearly thought Ben might be, looking agitated.

“No, I didn’t, but I found something I think you should see.”

His brother’s voice was unnaturally grim, which made Klaus hesitate.

“What happened?” Diego asked, impatient at being out of the loop. “Did he find Five?”

Klaus shook his head and made his way over to where Ben was pointing, around the corner of the crumbling wall until he could finally see what his brother was seeing.

At first he had no clue what he was looking at, except more piles of rubble. Nothing particularly noteworthy considering how much debris surrounded them in this world.

As he walked closer though, it became clearer.

He could count three piles of rocks, which had clearly been carefully stacked and placed side by side. At the foot of each of them the floor had been carved with a single word. It was almost too faint to be readable, but when Klaus crouched down and brushed aside the dust he could make out the names.

_Diego. Allison. Klaus._

He closed his eyes, feeling the world tilt around him until he put a hand on the floor to steady himself.

“Shit,” Diego muttered beside him, his voice smaller than usual. “Five. He must have buried us.”

“Yeah,” Klaus sighed. He brushed his fingers against the _Allison_ , and tried not to think about how his sister’s body was lying underneath these rocks like the corpses he had just seen.

He tried not to think about how _his own_ body was buried in front of him. He felt detached, peculiar as he imagined what it would be like to be lying in that grave right now facing the sky. 

What a terrible thing, to have to bury your own family with your bare hands.

“Luther’s over here,” Ben said, his voice slightly shaky.

Klaus made his way over to where he was standing, and found himself at quite a large wreckage. It was too big to be the grave of a person, however he could see Luther’s name in the same chicken scratch as the others, and his body nowhere in sight.

“He must have been too heavy for Five to carry,” Klaus said miserably. He ran his hands through his hair, digging his fingers into his scalp as the headache he had been experiencing began to pound incessantly. “ _Fuuck_ , this is all too horrible. I need…I need _something._ ”

“Klaus,” Ben said, a warning tone in his voice. “Don’t do this. Not now.”

“It’s fine, I just-it’s just something to tide me over,” he said reassuringly, shucking the backpack off his shoulder and letting it drop to the ground.

He had been desperate for another hit of something, _anything_ , since the pill from that morning had worn off. Landing in this godforsaken shithole had only compounded the effects of his comedown. Now it was unbearable, and he wasn’t going to deal with it any longer.

It only took a second for him to remember that he hadn’t brought anything with him before they’d travelled.

He’d completely forgotten, in the shock of Hazel’s revelation, that he was running empty. 

As he ripped open the bag, ignoring Ben’s protests, he began to feel a rising panic and broke out into a cold sweat.

He was so _stupid_.

What was he expecting to find? That mother dearest had packed _drugs_ for him along with his rations?

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he repeated, frantically pulling out the tinned items and dried goods from his bag until they spilled onto the floor around him. He flipped the bag over, shaking it roughly until all of it contents spilled out. He felt around, but couldn’t find anything to take the edge off.

He couldn’t be here right now sober. Sitting at the grave of his family, family that he had just seen _yesterday_ and one who was standing only a few feet away, and deal with this sober.

With a shaky breath, he reached up to grip his hair and tug it hard enough to hurt.

“Klaus, what the hell are you doing?”

Diego’s incredulous voice broke through his thoughts and he jerked around like a madman.

“Oh, uh, nothing! Nothing!” he said with false nonchalance. “Just…looking for a snack. A healthy snack.”

If it had been any of his other siblings, they might have chalked it up to just Klaus being weird again as usual. After all, he wasn’t the most predictable character out of all of them.

However Diego knew better.

He had always been the one to pick up Klaus after a late night out, to give him a ride when he’d called him from the other side of town. He had spent far too many night lugging Klaus’ practically lifeless body out of an alleyway and depositing him in his car to not know what this was.

His face transformed into one of disapproval when he realized what was happening.

“You’re looking for your drugs, aren’t you?” he asked flatly.

He might have been angrier if they weren’t standing at the graves of their own siblings, but it seemed like he was holding himself back for their sake.

Klaus simply sighed, turning back to his bag and throwing the items back in haphazardly. There was no reason to deny it anymore.

“Yeah, well I forgot them. So looks like it’s Rehab 2.0: Apocalypse Edition right now,” he joked, although really he just wanted to lay down and nurse his growing cravings. “You get to be my nurse this time, so we might have to nix the sponge baths. Unless you like that sort of thing, you pervert.”

“Great,” Diego muttered. “Just great. I get to be stuck here with you while you’re going through withdrawal.”

He came to stand beside Klaus, his eyes falling to where _Luther_ was written and his body stiffening. After a few seconds he crouched down, reaching out to touch the name with gentle fingers.

“Guess Five couldn’t carry Luther to where we were, huh?”

Klaus shook his head, his eyes feeling wet. Whether it was from the lingering shock of seeing his family’s graves, the incoming unpleasantness of withdrawal he was about to experience or the fact that he had landed in a post-apocalyptic wilderness, he wasn’t sure. His emotions were running wild and he was feeling exposed and raw.

“Did you find one for Vanya?” 

Klaus glanced at Ben questioningly, but he just shook his head. “No, and Ben didn’t either.” 

“We should keep moving,” Diego said after several minutes, all traces of anger gone from his voice. He sounded weary and sad. “I think the public library is nearby. They might have a map, which could be useful for us.”

“Ugh, yeah,” Klaus responded, wiping his eyes. “At least this means we’re hopefully going in the right direction.”

* * *

They roamed the empty streets, making their way to the library using Ben once again to scout ahead. He would run back and forth, reporting what he had found which ultimately was simply more wreckages, more destruction, more death.

It wasn’t long before they stumbled across the next clue that Five had been here.

Amongst the rubble of the old library, which was probably the most intact building they had found so far, were clear signs that someone had been living there recently.

A corner had been carved out under the half torn down roof for a carefully placed piled of books, a tent, a desk with a chair and numerous other bits and pieces which had clearly been dragged over to create a habitable space.

Unfortunately there was still no Five.

They had set the briefcase on a chair in the corner while Diego searched around the area, calling their brother’s name, and Klaus picked through what had once been Five’s temporary Apocalypse home.

The sight was unbearably gloomy.

The clothes had been neatly folded into a corner, however they were grimy and dirty from the polluted air. The desk was completely covered in mathematical equations, most of them crossed out and punctuated with angry curse words.

The books were badly taken care of, with pages torn out and even more equations scribbled across the paper.

“What do you think all these are for?” Ben asked, tracing over them with his ghostly fingers.

“No clue. Five’s always been nerdier than the rest of us.”

With dusty hands, Klaus picked through the cans and plastic packages littered across the floor. Each and every one of them had been licked completely clean of any food. The cans had all been badly torn open with jagged edges, and when Klaus looked closer he could see dried brown flakes of blood covering the edges.

The thought of Five desperately ripping open the cans with his bare fingers was unbearable, and he chucked the can he was holding away back into the pile.

Diego walked back to them stiffly, frowning as he scanned over the sad excuse of a home.

“No sign of him anywhere. He might have packed up.”

Klaus groaned, flopping down onto a wobbly chair.

“He could be anywhere by now! How the hell are we even going to find him?”

“Same thing. Pick a direction, go with it.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea,” Klaus said. “And what if he’s gone in the other direction?”

“Then we’ll deal with it,” Diego said curtly, picking up a mug and inspecting it with false interest.

“May I remind you that Mom only packed enough food for a week, and Five could be hundreds of miles from-”

“Don’t you think I fucking _know that_ , Klaus?” Diego snapped, slamming the mug down onto the table. It shattered upon impact. “Why don’t you shut up and make yourself useful, or is that too much to ask from a junkie like you?”

A stunned silence descended upon them, before Diego turned and stormed away from him without another word.

Klaus watched as the man stood at the edge of the old library, staring out into the distance silently, his back rigid and his arms crossed.

He turned to Ben, who was chewing his lip.

“You’ve got to give it to this family; barely one day and we’re already at each other’s throats. Diego will probably murder me before we even get close to finding Five,” Klaus joked, although it fell flat.

“Not if the withdrawal kills you first.”

He giggled hysterically. That was also a possibility. “Oh, Benny boy, you’re such a meanie. What would I do without you?”

Ben sighed.

“The same thing you’d always do. Whatever you want, with no thought of how it might hurt anyone else,” he said. If Klaus had thinner skin, that would have stung.

As it was, he had a headache that felt like someone was drilling into the back of his skull, making it hard for him to focus on anything but the pain.

After a few minutes Diego finally returned, seeming to have calmed himself down enough to feel remorseful for his outburst.

He opened one of the water bottles in his bag and took a small sip from it, before handing it to Klaus.

Klaus was beyond dehydrated. The unbearable sweating had only served to heighten his headache, and it took all of the self-control he had not to gulp down the entire bottle.

Christ, they had barely been here for a few hours and he was already in pieces. He dreaded to think about what the next few days would look like for him.

He handed Diego the water bottle, ignoring the critical eye on him.

Diego was probably taking in the way his fingers were trembling, the sweat lining his hairline and how he was tapping his foot impatiently against the gravel. It annoyed Klaus, even if he couldn’t see it.

He wasn’t interested in being judged right now.

“We should probably stay here for a couple of hours in case Five’s just out…exploring or something,” Diego said finally. “Then we can make a plan. I’ve found a map, which could be useful. Five probably would have made his way to the nearest populated area since there would be a better chance of finding food and shelter. At least, that’s what I would have done.”

That sounded smart, and Klaus thinks that Five would have followed that logic.

“Yeah, that sounds good, big guy,” he said airily. “I’ll just…follow your lead on that.”

So they waited.

Ben scouted around the area, searching for any signs of Five wherever possible, however he came back each time with a sad shake of the head. Despite that, Klaus couldn’t help but think of how useful it was to have a ghostly scouting companion in a place like this.

He wondered if, when they had all first died, they had wandered the Apocalypse as lonely souls or if they had simply moved on to the next place. If he ascribed to the theory that ghosts stayed behind because of unfinished business, wiping out the Apocalypse would have also wiped out all of those excuses to stay anchored to this Earth.

Above them, the smoke continued to rise and cover the sky in a giant cloud.

Klaus let his mind wander absent-mindedly while they waited and hoped for any sign of a small, uniform clad figure to pop into existence. After Ben returned from his sixth scouting trip however, Diego announced that it was time to leave.

“We’ll have to stop at night, so it’s better to start moving now,” he said briskly, shouldering his backpack and pulling out the map. He pointed to a red circle he had drawn on the map with one of the pens that Grace had packed them. “We’ll head over this way, and Ben can zig zag around to see if he can find anything.”

Klaus tried not to look at how big the map was, and how Five could literally be anywhere on it right now. They could walk past him without even realizing. They could be walking the wrong direction. He could be dead.

Instead, he shifted his backpack and said chipperly:

“Fantastic plan, discount Batman. Let’s do this.”

Diego simply rolled his eyes and they headed off.

* * *

It became evident after a few hours that walking in the Apocalypse was nothing like walking anywhere else.

Getting out of breath was not an option when the air was thick with ash.

They had to stop for breaks often just to catch their breath, otherwise they would begin to get dizzy from the smoky air. Klaus needed to stop more frequently, nausea overtaking him as the symptoms of withdrawal began to grow stronger and his body protested against the harsh conditions.

Despite his growing thirst, Diego refused to let him do anything except sip the water bottle every few hours. The lack of hydration only made him feel more nauseous, however Klaus knew that they needed to ration the water.

There was still no sign of Five anywhere.

They set up camp in the evening in a house that still had a roof and four walls, although not much else. Diego had gathered up some wood during their walk, including a burning branch, which he used to light a fire between them. Klaus was grateful for it, because he could almost pretend that they were simply out camping in the woods rather than wandering through a barren world.

The briefcase lay on its side next to Diego, who had been compulsively glancing at it since they’d settled.

Ben had decided to keep searching during the night, since he didn’t need any sleep or nourishment.

Klaus was well-versed in eating scraps due to his days living on the streets, so watching Diego choke down a meagre dinner of tinned beans and crackers was hysterical to him.

“Shut up,” Diego muttered, after gagging particularly hard.

“Sorry, sorry, I just didn’t think you’d be such a baby about it,” Klaus said, lounging back against what was once an armchair. He had already scraped all remnants of his food out of the can, chugging down the water that the beans had been stored in without complaint.

It was vile, but he was feeling pretty shit all around so it was the least of his complaints.

“I’m not a baby just because I don’t like eating beans out of the can.”

Diego tossed the can behind him. In the silence around them, the clatter of it landing was deafening.

Klaus stared out of the window at the sky, now a dark grey with flecks of red still appearing from the fires burning around the city. He felt like he was looking at the aftermath of a nuclear war.

“How do you think Five’s doing right now?” he asked.

Something flashed across Diego’s face, and he turned to stare at his hands silently.

Klaus pointed a finger at him, narrowing his eyes.

“What’s with that face every time I bring up our little rascal of a brother? You look you’re constipated or something.”

“Gross, Klaus. What is wrong with-”

“Nuh-uh, don’t try avoiding the question, big guy,” Klaus said impatiently, knowing Diego all too well. “You’re about to spend the next few days seeing me at my most disgusting, and that’s saying something because I have been involved in some weird kinky shit that you and the rest of our siblings would classify as downright filthy.”

Diego scrunched his face up in revulsion.

“So believe me when I say there are no secrets here between us. If I’m allowing myself to be so vulnerable with you, then it’s only fair that you do the same for me,” he said, shifting down so that he was lying on his side.

His brother scoffed. “You’re not _allowing_ yourself to be vulnerable. You’re in withdrawal because you forgot your damn drugs-”

“Now _that_ is merely an unrelated incident,” Klaus interrupted. “And again, you’re avoiding the question. Why are you so mad at Five? Is it about that detective friend of yours?”

“Ye-no!” Diego snapped, catching himself just in time. “I’m not doing this with you, Klaus. I don’t want to talk about it.” He picked up his jacket and began to roll it into a makeshift pillow, sliding it under his head and rolling over so he was staring up at the sky.

“So it is about her. Are you still mad at Five for that?”

“I’m not mad at Five. I was never mad at Five.” The response was prickly and impatient.

“Well, dear brother, you sure have a funny way of showing it,” Klaus said. “If that’s not the issue, then what is?”

Diego closed his eyes and didn’t respond, and after several minutes Klaus wondered if he went to sleep. He could hear his breathing slowing down, and he suddenly remarked that it was one of the few things he could hear.

The night was somehow even grimmer than the day in the Apocalypse, the sky filled with dark smoke that covered the moon and stars. The only light and sound around them were the soft flickering embers and the crackling of the fires, both between them and around them.

Klaus suddenly realized that if it weren’t for the fires, and for Diego’s breathing, the only thing he would have been able to hear was his own breath.

It would have driven him crazy.

He wondered if that was all that Five could hear, wherever he was. He pictured their brother, curled up and trying to sleep on the floor in the quiet just like they were doing now. It was hard for him to imagine, but it was still better than the alternative.

He hoped that Five was okay, that they would find him.

“The last thing I said to Eudora.”

The sound of Diego’s voice jolted him out of his thoughts, and he turned to see his brother still on his back, although now he was gazing into the sky with an unreadable expression.

“Back at Meritech, she said…she said something which upset me, and then she tried to apologize. I basically told her to shove it and left her. And that’s the last thing I ever said to her.”

Klaus held his breath, scared that any sound would make Diego stop talking.

“I couldn’t have known that was the last time and I know it’s stupid to think I could have saved her, but if I’d just swallowed my pride and not been such an _asshole_ …at the very least she wouldn’t have died thinking I was mad at her.”

He heard a soft sniffle and watched as Diego moved his hand up to wipe at his cheeks.

“I regretted it so much, and then I went and did the same damn thing with Five the next time I saw him. He probably thinks I hate him now. He fucking…opened up to us, trusted us with what he knew about the Apocalypse, and all I could do was focus on Hazel and Cha Cha.”

“I mean, I don’t think anyone can blame you for that. They were trying to kill him,” Klaus said softly.

“Yeah but I should’ve…we should’ve done _more_ to help him.”

Klaus couldn’t argue with that.

Diego turned over to him, shiny eyes steely with determination.

“I’m not going back, not until we find him. I’m not leaving him here alone.”

“And if we don’t find him? We could die here.”

Diego scoffed. “Jesus, Klaus, we just stood at our own graves where apparently died horribly a year ago. Maybe we have a better chance surviving out here than we do going back. Five managed it for months, which means it’s possible.”

“And I get that logic, but excuse me if I’d prefer a quick, earth-shattering death than the long drawn out torture that is starvation,” Klaus protested.

Above them, the roof of the house creaked suddenly and loudly for several heart stopping seconds. Both of them exchanged glances, before Diego sat up quickly and began gathering his things.

“Fuck this, we’re sleeping outside. I don’t trust this house to stay standing for much longer.”

“Yeah, right there with you, buddy.”

They set up camp once again out on the road, without any shelter over their heads. Neither of them spoke and Klaus was left to his own thoughts as he tried to calm his fidgeting fingers and the cramping in his stomach. They were mild however he was familiar enough with the experience that he knew they would start to get a lot worse by morning time.

He thought of Five once again, curled up and alone with no idea that anyone was out looking for him. Although he hadn’t said so, he secretly agreed with Diego.

They were leaving this place with Five, or they weren’t leaving at all.

* * *

They were awoken by a thunderous crashing sound which jolted both of them from their sleep wildly. Klaus was practically tangled in the jacket he had used as a pillow, and Diego had jumped from his spot to grab the briefcase instinctively and hug it to him while they looked wildly around.

They immediately saw the cause of the noise.

The roof of the house had caved in, nearly decimating the rooms entirely and bringing one of the walls down with it. A cloud of dust had risen around the rubble which stayed floating around and choked them slightly. The sight of it was chilling, and Klaus was immediately thankful for their paranoia last night.

Diego stood up, mumbling something about needing to relieve himself before trekking off.

As the adrenaline from the rude awakening wore off, Klaus was suddenly hit with a barrage of shit as his symptoms caught up to him.

 _Fuck_ , he was definitely in withdrawal.

He had barely gotten any sleep last night, drifting in and out of consciousness as his stomach cramps worsened and his limbs shook, often jerking him awake unexpectedly. Any sleep that he had gotten had been plagued with nightmares that had been vivid yet nonsensical, leaving his heart jackrabbiting and making him only feel increasingly anxious about being in this hellhole.

He was _drenched_ in sweat, overheated and sticky, and despite all of the other symptoms this was what was bothering him the most. 

He was desperate for a bath, something to wash off the grime of the previous day and night so that he could feel somewhat human again.

“Oh god, Klaus, you look terrible.”

He glanced up, squinting to see who was standing over him. After a few blurry seconds could make out the silhouette of Ben as he crouched over him worriedly.

“I feel terrible,” he croaked, throat like an ashtray. He couldn’t muster up the energy to still be his chipper, effervescent self when he was feeling like this. “Ben, this is bad. This is so bad.”

Ben grimaced. “I know. Dude, you need to keep hydrated.”

“We’re supposed to be fucking _rationing_ ,” Klaus groaned, unable to stop a miserable whimper from leaving his lips as his whole body was suddenly wracked with uncontrollable shivers. “God, I'm an idiot. I'm such a fucking idiot."

He could see Diego returning and reaching down to pick up the briefcase because he caught sight of Klaus properly, and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“ _Jesus_ , Klaus. You look like shit,” he said slowly, reaching down to their backpack to pull out one of the water bottles. “You’re sure as hell not going to survive withdrawal if you don’t stay hydrated.”

“Between you and Ben, who needs a doctor?” Klaus grumbled, although not cruelly.

Diego handed the bottle to him, and he swallowed down a few gulps, moaning in heavenly relief. It was torture not to chug the entire thing but he was still not that desperate yet.

His brother then handed him an energy bar, which he forced down despite the fact that it made him feel utterly sick.

“We should keep going,” Diego said, once they’d had a few minutes to settle their stomach. The tone of his voice made it pretty obvious that he didn’t particularly think they would get very far.

Klaus wanted to die at those words, because the thought of doing anything except laying on his ass sounding like agony. With a herculean effort he rolled over and pushed himself up onto shaky legs.

“ _Fuuuck_ , this is not good,” he groaned, clutching his roiling stomach with one arm. “This feels like every hangover I’ve ever had rolled into one massive hangover of death.”

Diego didn’t comment on his statement. Instead he shouldered his backpack before picking up the briefcase with one hand, and Klaus’ backpack with the other. 

“We’ll get there faster if I carry this,” he said simply. From the tightness in his jaw, Klaus could tell that he was too ticked off to say much more.

He knew that out of all of their siblings, Diego was the least likely to hold himself back from making a mean remark, which meant that what he wanted to say to Klaus now was particularly cruel if he was holding himself back.

Klaus didn’t blame him, he was pretty much drowning in self-hatred right now.

They set off at a relatively decent pace, with Diego leading while Ben resumed his scouting missions, and Klaus staggered behind like a zombie.

Their good pace lasted for all of fifteen minutes before he began to feel too dizzy and nauseous to continue and begged for a break.

After nearly half an hour Diego dragged him back up and forced him to continue, but it was slow going.

The cramping in his stomach led to him requiring numerous bathroom breaks, each of which left him dehydrated until his throat felt drier than the Sahara desert.

He forced down the nausea in an attempt to retain some liquids, however this led to him shaking uncontrollably and feeling hideously sick, which then meant that he needed to rest more often.

Perhaps it was because it was the first time Klaus actually had a chance of going sober, or perhaps it was because Ben was suddenly hyper aware of the dangerous situation his brothers were in, however his ghostly brother was surprisingly sympathetic. He reassured Klaus whenever he pulled himself back up to his feet, and chatted with him to keep him distracted during their walk.

On the other hand, Klaus could see Diego slowly losing his temper, although at this point he was too mired in wretchedness to care.

After what felt like an eternity, the sun began to set and Diego decided that they needed to set up camp.

Klaus estimated that throughout the entire day, they had only managed to walk for about three hours in total. And _‘walk’_ was a loose term for what they had been doing.

It was an agonizing waste of a day.

Klaus was ready to roll over and expire, and he simply slid to the ground face first and let the gravel dig into his cheek. He lay there for several minutes, blinking back the dryness in his eyes and willing away the pounding headache.

As the night fell on them, he suddenly realized something strange.

“There aren’t any ghosts.”

Diego looked up from the map he was studying intently, torch held in one hand and face twisted into a frown.

“What?”

Klaus lifted his head from the floor, feeling pieces of gravel detach from his cheeks.

“I haven’t taken anything since yesterday, but I haven’t seen a single ghost yet. Usually I’d at least have seen one or two wandering around,” he mused wearily.

“You’re right, I haven’t seen any either,” Ben said, frowning in bewilderment. “That’s so weird, you’d think this place would be crawling with ghosts.”

Klaus had been dreading the thought of thousands of Apocalypse ghosts wandering around, screaming in his ear and demanding answers but so far it was shockingly quiet.

Diego had gone back to his map, having lost interest in the conversation almost immediately. After a few seconds he sighed and tossed it down next to his backpack.

“We’ve barely made any headway. Shit, we’re not even close to where I thought we’d be by now,” he said, rippling with anger. “Of all the fucking times to be going through withdrawal.” The last bit was muttered under his breath, but Klaus heard it loud and clear.

Alongside the nausea churning in his gut all day, he had been feeling the endless pool of guilt and shame at his current predicament.

He was slowing them down, diminishing their chances of finding Five and rescuing him.

What a fucking failure he was.

“Maybe you should just go ahead,” he said, barely able to get the words out when his tongue felt swollen and thick. He rolled onto his back and pulled himself onto his backpack for support. “Find Five, then double back and pick me up.”

“Don’t be stupid, you’ll die without me here.”

“Nah, I’ll be fine. And anyway you shouldn’t have to be dealing with this,” he gestured up and down at himself. “It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve been through this, although granted last time I wasn't at the end of the world searching for our little brother who could be dead for all that we know-”

“Klaus,” Diego said, with barely contained fury. “Just…don’t, okay? I’m not gonna lie. I am…beyond pissed at you right now. All those years I begged you to get off the drugs, and now it’s come back to bite you…bite _us_ in the ass at the worst possible moment.”

He squeezed his eyes shut, taking a deep and controlled breath.

"But honestly, I don’t want to make the same mistake with you that I did with Patch and…and maybe Five. So just, don’t talk shit about me leaving you behind or whatever, okay? You’re my brother, even if you’re an idiot. Which means we’ll get through this. Together.”

Klaus knew it wasn’t just the withdrawal making him weepy. He gave Diego a shaky smile, glad beyond words that he wasn’t alone right now.

“And we’ll find Fivey, right?”

“Right.” Diego was staring down at the floor deliberately, but Klaus knew they were good.

* * *

The next two days were hell for Klaus, both physically and emotionally.

They had tried to continue trekking through the wilderness at the same pace as the first day, however Klaus’ body was a shivering, unsteady wreck. He could barely stand without trembling like jelly, and when they did manage to make some headway, it ended with Klaus practically crawling on his hands and knees he was so sick. 

Every time he had gone through withdrawal – aside from his half-hearted attempt to talk to their dead father, in which he had cheated for most of it – he had been in a rehab centre. Being surrounded by nurses who had given him medication to support his detoxing and ensured that he had stayed fully hydrated throughout had seemed like an annoyance at the time, whereas now it would be paradise.

This safe procedure was impossible here in the Apocalypse. The ash-filled atmosphere made breathing difficult, and the unending dehydration worsened his symptoms tenfold. What would have been a difficult but non-lethal withdrawal for him was now bordering on dangerous.

It was without a doubt the worst experience he had ever had trying to get sober.

Diego and Ben were surprisingly patient with him, the latter verbally encouraging while the former would help him walk and take care of him while he lay sweating and shaking.

His withdrawal meant that they were burning through the rations like wildfire. Diego insisted on keeping Klaus well-nourished to ensure that his body was able to handle the excessive symptoms. 

He could see that his brother was reducing his own share to supplement Klaus’, which made him sick to his stomach, but he didn’t mention it.

He was too desperate for the nutrition, and Diego would have ignored him anyway.

The nights were the worst for him.

He couldn’t sleep easily, which meant that he would spend hours shivering and staring up at the sky. He was plagued with visions of starving to death, his corpse rotting alone in this Apocalypse. Diego would grieve for him before taking the briefcase and eventually either die, or give up and go back.

He had said he wouldn’t go back without Five, but desperate men did desperate things. If Diego left, then the guilt of losing Klaus and leaving Five here would tear him apart.

Mostly, Klaus was haunted by dreams of Five.

Finding his small body facedown and lifeless, emaciated after months of waiting for rescue. Sometimes he was dead, other times he was close to death.

It didn’t matter, because in every paranoid delusion he had, Five would eventually die.

In most delusions, it was Klaus’ fault. They would find him only just too late, delayed by Klaus’ ineptness.

He struggled with the deeply depressing thoughts and occasionally wept, scrubbing at his face hard enough to hurt and whispering to Ben who stayed with him and kept him company.

“You’re doing great, Klaus,” Ben said to him during one particularly bad night. “Just hang in there, the worst of it will be over soon.” He seemed more frustrated by his inability to touch Klaus than ever, and instead just hovered anxiously while Klaus rubbed at his arms in an attempt to both warm himself and rid himself of chills.

He finally cried himself to sleep after an hour, too exhausted to remain awake, although the jitters continuously jerked him awake, each time more agonizing than the last.

The day after that, after what felt like no sleep, he couldn’t stand.

Diego tried to pull him up, but he simply collapsed back onto the ground, shaking from the cold and his muscles screaming at him. His legs felt like noodles, unable to bear his weight even with Diego carrying him.

“Get up, we have to get moving.” Diego tugged at his arm, frustrated with his limpness. “Use your legs, Klaus.”

Klaus shot him an angry glare. “I’m _tr-trying._ _”_

 _“_ Well try harder, goddamnit!”

“Fuck y-you, _you_ try harder!” His teeth were chattering too hard for him to speak properly.

“Well, maybe I fucking w-w-would if I didn’t have to carry your ass right now!” Diego barked, so enraged he fell back into his childhood stutter.

“If it’s so hard then f-fucking leave, asshole!” Klaus snapped back, and he suddenly realized that tears were streaming down his face. He didn’t even know why, but now that they had started he couldn’t stop.

They stared at each other, Diego red in the face from effort and him a crying, sweaty, shaking mess until finally he jostled his arm slightly.

“I can’t, shit, Diego, I-let go,” he wheezed, as Diego set him back on the ground carefully, looking hopeless and almost scared. “I can’t move, I can’t. S-sorry.”

He rubbed at his arms, trying to reduce the chills running across his skin, but it did little to make him feel better. He was so cold and his stomach hurt so much, but the worst was the shaking. His teeth were clicking together so loudly it was like a jackhammer in his brain, sending pain lancing through his skull.

“Fuck,” Diego said, sitting heavily on the ground next to him. “Fuck, we’re never going to find Five at this pace.”

The hopelessness in his voice would have sent shame coursing through him normally, but Klaus felt too emotionally numb to manage empathy outside of his own misery right now.

“Th-thirsty,” he croaked, and Diego opened up another water bottle and handed it to him. He said nothing as Klaus downed nearly half the bottle, and didn’t take a sip of his own before capping it. Klaus narrowed his eyes. “You need to d-drink too.”

Diego shook his head.

“Can’t. We’re running out,” he said. “We’ll stay here for today, get through the worst of it. There’s a town nearby on the map, I’m going to check it out, see if I can find some food or water.”

It was left unsaid, but they really needed water. Diego had been too scared to limit Klaus’ intake, but it was clear that what he was withholding from himself was starting to take its toll.

He left Klaus on his own with a promise to return in a few hours, and once he was gone there was nothing left for Klaus to hear except for his own jittery breathing.

The silence was unbearable.

“B-Ben,” he said, and almost immediately Ben crouched down next to him. He had been watching their struggle although for once had kept his mouth shut.

“How are you feeling? You look…pretty awful, I’m not going to lie.”

“Just fucking k-kill me. I w-wish I was dead,” he said, his teeth chattering.

“Nah, you don’t. Otherwise you’d be stuck here like me, haunting Diego for the rest of his life,” Ben joked, and Klaus giggled hysterically.

“I’m g-going to die anyway, the rate this is going. At least Diego would have a ch-chance not starving to death.”

Ben shushed him, and watched as he dissolved into gasping sobs, wracked with unhappiness. Diego had skipped dinner last night after Klaus had evacuated the contents of his stomach over the past few hours.

The numbness which had taken hold of him that morning was replaced by guilt and hopelessness, so strong that he thought he might die from the emotional pain of it.

When Diego returned, he brought back with him a small stash of canned food and a two highly treasured metal water bottles which were full and almost pristine.

He also brought back two blankets, which Klaus was immensely grateful for, and spent the rest of the day helping Klaus through the worst of the jitters.

The next day wasn’t much better, with Klaus so sick he could barely even move from where he lay.

He was sweating and vomiting and crying throughout most of the day, with Diego fretting around him and forcing him to eat and drink despite his constant protests that he didn’t want to eat or drink anything.

Every wave of nausea was accompanied by the guilt of wasting the precious rations that they had with them.

His brother went scavenging again to find more supplies, however his trips were short. He didn’t say it, but Klaus knew that Diego was scared to wait too long and come back to find him dead.

At this rate, he was pretty sure that he wasn’t far off.

* * *

On the seventh day, what had seemed like an impossibility for him, Klaus woke up feeling surprisingly tolerable both physically and mentally.

His brain was somewhat numb and buzzing slightly, while most of his cramps had subsided into a dull ache. He was desperately craving something to take the edge off, but he could deal with the cravings more easily than he could the pain and depression.

A shower would have helped immensely.

He had woken up and headed out to relieve himself, and when he got back to where they had been sleeping he saw Diego rifling through the food and drink that they had left.

“You feeling better?” he asked Klaus, looking hopeful. It was the first day for a while that Klaus hadn’t woken up gasping for water.

He had managed a little bit of a walk the previous day, which had been a godsend compared to the days he couldn’t move, but it had been trivial compared to what Diego would have liked.

Klaus nodded wearily. “Hell yeah, _mi hermano_. Not quite my usual frisky self, but it’s the first time in a week I don’t feel like rolling over and dying. Think we might actually be able to make some progress today.”

“Yeah, if we’re even going the right way.” Diego sighed. “There’s been no sign of Five anywhere and I have no idea how the hell we’re going to find him. We could be walking completely the wrong direction for all we know.”

Looking down at the backpack, Klaus noted that they still had substantial food rations left, however their water was…sparse, for lack of a better term. They had literally about a liter left sloshing in the bottom of a bottle.

Diego had raided a supermarket the previous afternoon and found a few small cartons of apple juice two days ago which had provided some relief, but Klaus had started vomiting uncontrollably from his nausea, which had led to Diego forcing him to finish off the cartons to keep himself hydrated.

Swallowing back the remorse, he looked around them. They had left the city a while ago now, and buildings were much more sparse around here although there was no shortage of burning. He wondered how long these fires would keep burning, how they had survived through the winter. 

Just as he brought himself back to reality, he caught sight of a person walking down the road a few feet ahead of them. 

The appearance was so jarring that for a moment he thought he was hallucinating.

He blinked, rubbing at his eyes, but the figure was still there.

“H-hey!” he yelled, jumping up frantically and waving his hands. It startled Diego, who teetered off balance and fell on his ass in shock. “Over here! Hey!”

The figure glanced up at him, frozen in surprise, before slowly starting to make its way over.

“Jesus, Klaus, what the hell are you waving at?”

“It’s-it’s another survivor!” he said excitedly. Diego scrambled up to his feet and squinted over to where he was waving. “Over here!”

As the person approached, Klaus could make out the figure of a woman wearing rags which were practically burnt and hanging off her body. She was limping heavily as she walked towards them.

“Um…Klaus?”

“Yep?”

“I don’t see anyone,” Diego said slowly.

Klaus’ heart dropped to his stomach, and as the woman approached he suddenly deeply regretted calling her over.

She was practically naked, covered in burns from head to toe with blackened skin and raw red blisters. Her eyes, one of which was cloudy, were darting between all of them in shock.

“Oh god,” Ben moaned, turning away in horror although he tried to cover it up.

“Hello,” she said finally, when she was close enough to them. He voice was wispy and hoarse, as if she’d been screaming for too long. Klaus couldn’t make out how old she was due to the extent of her injuries, however he would have guessed mid-40s.

“Oh, uh-hey,” he said lamely.

All of the excitement from a moment ago had seeped away as he realized that he was looking at a ghost. His first ghost in the Apocalypse, which was highly unusual considering how long they had been there.

“You’re not dead.”

Klaus gulped. “Yeah no, we uh…we’re not.” He didn’t think he wanted to spare a moment explaining their time travel adventure to a ghost. “Except Ben here. He’s pretty dead.”

She gave Ben a limp little wave, and he reciprocated hesitantly.

Diego was packing items back into his backpack, looking unsure of himself. It was always how his siblings had reacted whenever evidence of Klaus’ power had arisen, because in truth what else could they do?

The woman, who he noted was practically bald with only a few burnt tufts left, hummed absent-mindedly. She was one of the calmer ghosts he’d met, potentially still somewhat shell-shocked from the suddenness of her death.

“Where are all the other ghosts?” Ben interjected, having pulled up the courage to look at her in the eyes again. “We’d have thought there would have been more considering…”

He waved to around them, to the corpses littering the road and trapped inside the burnt cars. She followed his gaze silently before turning back to him.

“Most have moved on. Not much to do here since the world ended, you know? The only ones left behind are looking for survivors or just…aren’t quite ready.”

“And have you found any? Survivors?”

“No, no one.”

Klaus swallowed hard. Well, that was that.

“Right, okay, well in that case it was absolutely _enthralling_ to meet you and we’ll just be on our way. We’re looking for someone, our brother, and we really need to get going if we want to find him,” he rambled, anxious to put as much distance between himself and this ghost as possible.

He shouldered his backpack, watching as Diego did the same, and turned to leave.

“Oh, you mean the kid? You’re going the wrong way if you want to find him.”

He stopped, turned, and faced her again.

“What did you say? What kid? You just said you haven’t found any survivors.”

Diego’s eyes widened and he glanced frantically between Klaus and the empty space he would have been seeing. The ghost gestured behind her with a limp arm, towards the horizon and back the way that they came.

“I haven’t. But some of the others have. Just one, at least. If you’re looking for him, then you’re going the wrong way,” she said bluntly.

“Can you bring us to him?” Klaus could practically hear his heart thundering in his chest as hope fluttered inside of him for the first time since arriving.

She gave him a wan smile. “I can try.”

Klaus and Ben exchanged hopeful glances. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: drug addiction and withdrawal, depression as a result of withdrawal, suicidal thoughts, vomiting, descriptions of gore, starvation
> 
> This chapter was a total unexpected beast, but I felt like this was a chance to really explore how dismal the Apocalypse is through the eyes of someone who hadn't experienced it yet. I promise Five makes an appearance in the next chapter :) Also I have started working on a Five-centric fic for the Bang event, which I'm super excited to start posting soon. It might mean that the next few chapters will be a little bit delayed, however I am already halfway through Chapter 14 for this fic so hopefully nothing too long in between. 
> 
> Also sorry for any inaccuracies regarding the portrayal of Klaus' withdrawal, I have a pretty limited understanding although I did try to research what I could.


	12. Searching for buried treasure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all again for your lovely comments <3 You might have noticed that I've updated the chapter number, and that's because I have finally decided on how many chapters it will take to finish this fic, although I am so sad that I am now writing the final chapters. I'm glad you're enjoying all of the twists and turns, I've tried really hard to both stay in-character and also within the logic of the TUA universe which has been supremely difficult but hopefully it's been working. 
> 
> TW: mentions of blood, injury and violence. Lots of swearing in this one

Diego kept the briefcase clutched in his hand whenever possible, despite the fact that there was no one around to take it from him. At night he would lay it only a foot away from him, but not too close to the fire, and during the day he only let go of it when he needed to relieve himself. 

At no point did he allow Klaus to carry it, and his brother never once offered.

The ghost that Klaus had been talking to had left them after the first day, apparently passing them on to another ghost who was now leading them across the wasteland, who had then left them the next day with another ghost and so on and so forth.

They had been in the Apocalypse for eleven days now, and they had run out of water.

He was surprised they had even managed to stretch it as far as that. He had forced himself to drink the water from the tinned products where possible, keeping the clean water from the bottles for the times in between while Klaus had been going through the worst of the withdrawal.

He had scoured a few supermarkets with varying degrees of luck, occasionally finding more tins of food however even less often finding anything which would keep them hydrated.

A few days ago it had rained, and they had collected enough disgusting ashy water to keep them going for a little while longer. It had tasted like burning wood and he’d had to choke it down, but it had kept them satisfied for another few hours.

Without his additional scavenging, they would have died of thirst days ago. Klaus’ withdrawal had been near deadly, and withholding water had not been an option on most days.

The helplessness he had felt during the peak of Klaus’ withdrawal had been immeasurable, and he had considered multiple times whether to use the briefcase to bring them back.

Whether not doing so was directly contributing to Klaus’ death.

It had been a terrible choice to make, one that had plagued him almost every night. Use the briefcase to save Klaus who was close to dying right in front of him, or hold out until it was potentially too late for Klaus to save Five, who might not even be alive.

He had felt anger too, at Klaus for putting them in this position, at Five for being so reckless, but mostly at himself for the part he had played in all of this happening.

In the end he had chosen to stay, because he knew that the decision wasn’t his to make. Klaus didn’t want to leave despite the danger to himself, so they weren’t leaving.

He had gotten through it and survived, and the relief had been short-lived for the next few days.

Now Diego watched as Klaus gulped down the remaining few drops of blackened water, swallowing back the dryness in his own throat. He forced himself to look away and try and make the sight less painful.

_God, he was thirsty._

“Crap, is that the last of the water?” Klaus asked hoarsely, tapping the bottom of the water bottle to try and coax out another drop. He was pale and sweaty.

Diego nodded. “Yup.”

His voice was equally as hoarse, and it had been like that for several days now, throat sore from the polluted air. 

He was covered in a layer of grime, feeling more dirty and greasy than he had ever felt before. His initial disgust had faded after several days and he had reluctantly accepted the low standards of hygiene that the Apocalypse had enforced upon them. He was just thankful that the smoky air helped to cover up the scent of his sweaty clothes.

But more than that he was just goddamn thirsty.

“Your ghost say how much longer we’ve got until we find Five?” he asked, trying to keep his voice hopeful.

Klaus, who was trembling slightly from exhaustion, shrugged his shoulders. He was no longer at the peak of his withdrawal, but he was still weak and their journey had been slow going.

Diego was just grateful he was even on his feet at all.

“He doesn’t speak English.”

Diego squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. Did this ghost even know where they were going? He didn’t even want to think about it.

“Right. Let’s just…keep going.”

They walked for a few more hours in complete silence, both because talking would take up strength that they didn’t have and because it would make them even thirstier than they already were.

Instead Diego focused on their end goal.

Five. Finding him, rescuing him, getting him the hell out of here.

The hope that had flared within him when Klaus had first starting talking to a ghost had burned brightly in his chest, giving him the strength he needed to keep walking through the dizziness and the thirst.

Alongside the hope burned an endless pit of guilt from their last confrontation. But he knew that even though he needed to apologize, he would live with it if Five didn’t forgive him.

Knowing that Five was still alive, that he was breathing, was enough for Diego.

The rest could come later.

They were traded to another ghost again as the morning came and went, this time one who apparently could speak English, and Diego was forced to sit and watch a conversation that he could only hear one side of once again.

The current ghost was apparently a policeman named William, who had died died literally an hour before the Apocalypse happened and had been searching for the ghost of his wife ever since.

Diego didn’t really care about the ghosts’ back stories. If he was honest with himself, he was sure they were pretty close to becoming ghosts themselves soon.

When Klaus was done chatting with the ghost, he turned to Diego with a delirious smile.

“He says he’s close. Less than a mile from here, holed up in some bunker for the past few months.” Klaus’ smiled dropped suddenly. “Apparently a lot of the ghosts congregate around there most of the time, since he’s…you know, the only survivor.”

The thought of a gathering of dead spirits hanging around Five, following him, watching him made Diego feel sick with repulsion. Not for the first time, he was grateful that he had the powers he did, and not Klaus’ powers.

They walked with the ghost, both of them clearly feeling more energetic than they had in a while.

Diego could practically feel his heart rate speeding up with every step as they approached, and he could barely contain the anticipation that was coursing through his blood.

They had done it. They were going to see Five.

The final mile somehow seemed both longer and shorted than any other mile they had walked, and after what felt like a laborious trek they arrived at what had once been a suburban neighborhood.

Just as he took a step forward, Klaus put out a hand to stop him. He glared down at it impatiently, before looking back up at Klaus, only to see him staring at him with wide eyes.

“What? What’s wrong? You gonna puke?”

“The ghosts says there are people waiting,” Klaus said, pale with terror. “People with guns.”

Diego’s blood ran cold. _Commission agents._

“Shit, where are they? Can he point them out?”

“Uh, they’ve already seen us.”

That was all the warning he got before a cloud of dust and brick exploded in front of them in a spray of bullets, and they both jumped back in shock.

“Oh, _shit!_ ” Klaus cried, grabbing Diego and pulling him back. They tumbled down the pile of rubble they had been standing on, crashing against bricks and metal before landing in a painful heap at the bottom.

Diego only had a second to be grateful that he was still holding onto the briefcase, before he hauled Klaus with him behind a brick wall and searched around frantically for any sight of the Commission agents. He could hear the bullets flying around, striking the rubble and blowing dust up around them.

“Shit! Shit, what do we do?” Klaus asked, putting his hands over his ears.

“Get your ghost to count how many there are!”

Klaus stared at him incredulously, before understanding dawned and he barked the demand to the space next to them. A bullet hit the wall above them, spraying them with flecks of concrete and Diego quickly grabbed as many knives as he could get from his belt.

“Ten! He says there are ten guys!” Klaus said, yelping when a brick practically exploded next to him. “One of them has a sniper!”

Jesus, these people really didn’t want them rescuing Five.

If Diego was at his peak, he knew that he could try stopping the bullets long enough to identify where the shooters were. He had never mastered the skill as well as he had with knife throwing, but he could manage it in emergencies.

He was exhausted however, parched and weakened from their journey and he knew that the Commission agents were probably not lacking in bullets. If he stopped one round, more would come.

“Diego!”

He turned to Klaus, who was looking hopeful.

“The ghost! He said-he said – your eight o’ clock, about seven feet up!”

Diego stared at him for a second, before comprehension dawned on him. He nodded quickly, before launching a knife to the side and turning it in the direction provided.

The tell-tale gurgling scream told him that his aim was true.

Klaus continued to relay the directions to him from the ghost, and he successfully dispatched another three, however he missed the fifth one. The bullets continued raining down on them, and Diego could hear footsteps as the men approached.

One of them managed to run around the corner, gun aimed at Klaus’ head, but Diego’s knife sliced through his throat milliseconds before. 

“Fuck,” he breathed, rubbing sweat from his forehead. “I don’t know if I can do much more, my arms are shaking.”

He glanced around the corner and balked when he saw two of the assassins approaching quickly, dressed in military gear with their guns pointed forward as they walked.

Fuck, they were screwed.

He turned to Klaus, ready to tell him to run while he distracted the agents, but his brother wasn’t looking at him.

Instead he was staring down at his hands in shock as they began to glow blue, a pulsating glowing blue that shone light through his fingers and burned bright enough to hurt.

“Klaus, what-”

A blue figure materialized in front of them, floating an inch off the ground and staring back in wide-eyed wonder at his two brothers.

Diego felt something stick in his throat. “Ben…”

Without hesitation, Ben lifted his shirt, screaming as the beast within him emerged and wrapped around the Commission agents.

Diego couldn’t see what has happening, but he could hear the screaming and squelching as the men were ripped apart and crushed by the merciless limbs.

Blood splashed down onto the gravel next to them, followed by a limp body crashing against the rubble. Diego turned away, not wanting to see the state that the man had been left in.

As always whenever Ben brought out the Horror within him, the fight was over within seconds. Silence reigned over them until finally Klaus spoke.

“William the ghost says they’re all dead,” he confirmed, giving him a shaky smile.

“Thanks, Will,” Diego said gruffly to air, before turning around and carefully making his way back out from where they had been hiding. He could see Ben standing there, blue and ghostly and staring down at the bodies of the agents, and he strode forward deliberately and quickly until he was standing in front of him

Ben looked up, opening his mouth to speak but Diego didn’t give him the chance.

Dropping the briefcase, he wrapped his arms around his dead brother and squeezed him as hard as he could. Ben’s arms wrapped around him and held him just as tightly.

“God damn, it’s good to see you,” Diego said, voice husky tears springing to his eyes.

“You too, Diego,” Ben replied, sounding just as emotional.

They hugged for several seconds, until Diego felt the solid weight under him suddenly begin to fade. The ghostly blue dimmed and without warning he nearly fell through the air, clutching onto nothing.

He heard Klaus stepping up next to him, and when he turned he could see that his brother was looking at him with a fond smile.

“Sorry, I couldn’t hold on much longer,” he said. “Ben’s still here though, and he’s crying. You know, maybe we-”

Whatever he was about to say was interrupted as Diego grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug. He stiffened momentarily, before returning the embrace. They both stank of days’ worth of grime, but it didn’t bother Diego. 

“What did I do to deserve _this_?”

Diego loosened his hold, taking Klaus by the shoulders and giving him a grateful squeeze.

“Your powers…are a goddamn miracle,” he said, grinning widely. “No, strike that, _you_ _’re_ a goddamn miracle. You saved our asses back there, and with your ghost tour guides as well. I’m sorry I ever doubted you, man.”

Klaus waved him off, looking suspiciously teary-eyed. “Aw, jeez, you’re making me blush!”

Diego snorted, clapping his back and picking up the briefcase. Fortunately it was only somewhat scuffed and dusty, but other than that it looked in relatively good condition.

“Right, let’s find Five and get the hell home before they send some more guys here.”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

* * *

William the ghost brought them to the bunker where Five had apparently been holed up for several months since arriving. Amongst the rubble of the house was a vaulted door that was covered in dust, undisturbed.

He imagined Five didn’t bother with actually trying to figure out how to work the lock.

Klaus thanked Will profusely for his guidance, as did Diego albeit more gruffly. It still felt strange for him to simply speak to nothingness.

Apparently the ghost simply nodded and wandered off to join a group of spirits wandering around the area. According to Klaus, it was much more populated with spirits here than it had been anywhere else.

“They’re so quiet though,” Klaus said as he looked around them. “Normally they never shut up, but these ones are just…so subdued.”

Diego wasn’t surprised. The Apocalypse itself was the quietest thing he had ever experienced, so it made sense to him that its ghosts would be too.

He looked down at the vaulted door, fingers tracing the dust on the metal. The mechanism looked complex, with a metal wheel combination lock that he had no clue how to use.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked loudly on the bunker door, however there was no response.

“Five? You in there?” Still nothing. He grimaced. “Shit, do you think he can hear us in there? Maybe it’s too thick.”

He didn’t want to think about the alternative, and banged on the door as loud as possible. They were met with nothing but silence, and the two of them exchanged fearful glances.

It was pessimistic and stupid, because there could have been a number of harmless reasons Five wasn’t responding. The door was too thick, he was asleep, he was out scouting the area. All of these were perfectly plausible, and yet the only thing that Diego could see were visions of worst case scenarios flooding his brain.

“ _Five!_ _”_ he slammed both hands down on the door, feeling the impact reverberating up his arm.

Still silence, and Diego felt like if they had to wait out here for hours not knowing what to expect he might just explode.

“This guy says he knows how to open it,” Klaus said suddenly.

Diego looked up, and saw Klaus staring at an empty space next to him.

“What? Who? How?”

Klaus’ eyes flickered towards vaulted door. “Some guy named Robert. Says this house and bunker belonged to him. He was…he was prepping for a doomsday apocalypse.”

“Wow,” Diego said, unsure of what to say. “That’s…”

“Ironic? Yeah, he knows. Apparently some Commission agent shot him in his bed while he slept, then left behind the briefcase that Five eventually found,” Klaus said, grimacing. “Funny how that works out…”

Funny wasn’t the word that came to Diego’s mind when he heard that story, but it didn’t matter. It had brought Five back to them, and that was good enough for him

“Now move, he’s going to help me,” Klaus instructed, wiggling his fingers and kneeling down next to him.

It took nearly fifteen minutes of back and forth for Klaus to unlock the vault door, as he became increasingly confused by the instructions of the ghost. Apparently the man was talking through seven bullet holes in his face, and the result of it was that he wasn’t able to be particularly articulate in his directions.

Diego watched as Klaus struggled to open the vault, his arms straining as he twisted the wheel back and forth.

He sighed, hitching up the briefcase as it began to slide out of his grasp. His body felt like a giant bruise, and he couldn’t wait to just lie down and take a much needed break.

“I did it!” Klaus cried triumphantly, delight with himself. He got up to his knees and began to pull the door up, grunting from the heaviness. “Shit, that was harder than-”

An explosive bang ripped through the air, and something whizzed past Diego’s shoulder.

He only had a second to register what had happened before Klaus screeched and jumped back, scrabbling at his arm and pulling him back.

“Fuck! Get down!”

Diego, clutching onto the briefcase for dear life, had barely jumped down before another gunshot sounded and the wall behind him exploded, showering them with brick fragments.

In a familiar scramble he pulled Klaus behind the wall, darting around as he tried to get a good look at their attacker.

“Shit, shit, we’re so _stupid_ ,” he hissed, ripping one of his knives from his utility belt. “Didn’t Will say there was a sniper?”

“I thought we got all of them,” Klaus groaned.

“Apparently not.”

Another bang and a burst of dust dangerously close to Klaus. He yelped, a small cut appearing on his cheek.

“Do you think you can conjure up Ben again?”

Klaus shook his head. “I don’t think so, that last one really drained me.”

Diego could hear footsteps, light and careful, circling around them slowly. He tried to get a sense of where the attacker was, but they were too far for him to really tell.

He only had two knives left, he needed to make them count.

“Christ, I can’t believe we’re so close and _now_ this asshole shows up,” Klaus moaned, pulling at his hair in frustration. “I can barely lift a kitten, never mind fight off a fucking _sniper!_ ”

Diego shushed him, listening intently in the silence for any indication that the gunman was close by. There was nothing but the sound of Klaus gasping for breath next to him, and blood rushing through his ears.

He gripped the metal tightly between his fingers, turning slightly towards Klaus who was staring at him with wide eyes.

“What’s Ben seeing?” he asked, keeping his voice low. “If he gives me directions I should be able to hit him.”

Another bang rang out and pain flared in his knee, sudden and hot. He gasped, gripping at it in shock while Klaus yelped and ducked down.

Shit, he’d been an idiot and let his leg drop just enough to peek out behind the wall. A bullet had grazed him lightly, splitting his skin open and he grasped at it painfully.

“ _Fuck_ ,” he breathed, feeling blood trickling through his fingers.

Klaus’ eyes widened, alarmed. “Holy shit, are you okay?”

But he didn’t have time to feel the pain, because the gunman had just given away his position.

Next to him he heard Klaus draw in a sharp breath, jerking around wildly. Diego flung the knife out with all the strength he had left in him.

“No Diego _wait_ _don_ _’t Ben says it’_ s-”

The knife struck true, and behind them a pained yelp rang out followed by the sound of something clattering to the ground, and Diego took that as the sign he needed and jumped out from behind the wall, launching another knife towards the source of the cry.

There was a familiar sound, like a _whoosh_ and a crackle of blue, and Five reappeared a few feet away in another flash of deep blue, stumbling and crashing against a table haphazardly nearly knocking it over. He pushed himself up without hesitation, teeth bared in anger and clutching a bloodied hand to his chest.

Whatever he had been about to say seemed to die in his throat as he locked eyes with Diego.

They stood facing each other, their faces mirrored in equal levels of shock, and the silence between them vast and endless.

He could hear Klaus clambering out from behind the wall until he was standing beside Diego, exhaling in relief as he caught sight of Five.

Diego’s eyes lowered down to the cut on Five’s hand, long and shallow but streaming blood, which dripped onto the ground.

Fuck, he had almost killed Five.

“W-what-”

Five seemed unable to speak, stepping back in shock as he took in the sight of them.

His words were enough to break the spell, and Klaus, who had always been the first out of the siblings to reach out, bold, _brave_ Klaus, rushed to their brother with a choked cry.

“Fivey-you’re alive, fuck _you_ _’re alive_!” He enveloped a stunned Five into a hug, squeezing him so tight that he could barely breathe. “God, we were-we were so _worried_ about you-”

“K-Klaus,” Five choked, gripping onto Klaus’ jacket so tightly that his fingers turned white. He still sounded more shocked than anything. “What-how are you-what-”

His eyes wandered over to Diego’s, and when their gazes locked again Diego felt like he couldn’t breathe. Seeing Five standing there, safe and _alive,_ it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

“Hazel,” he said, forcing himself to speak. Five’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “He gave us a briefcase. It’s how we got here.”

He gestured lamely towards the wall where he had left it behind. Five’s eyes never left him.

“I nearly killed you,” he said, realization dawning on his face. “I was aiming for your head, Diego, and missed but-I mean, I didn’t hit you, but god, I almost-”

Klaus let go of him, wiping the tears off his cheeks with a dirty sleeve.

“Hey, it’s okay, it’s okay, don’t worry about that now.” Klaus comforted him, eagerly staving off Five’s incoming breakdown as he realized how close he’d come to killing his own brother. “We’re both fine, aren’t we Diego?” He gave Diego a shaky smile, all the while keeping his hand on Five’s shoulder as if he couldn’t bear to let go.

Five glanced back at Diego, who still hadn’t moved from his spot.

“Diego,” Five murmured, his voice wobbling. “About P-Patch, I’m sorry”

“Don’t, don’t-” Diego interrupted, and Five flinched from the harshness in his voice. “You’ve got nothing to apologize for. I should-I should be apologizing-” He suddenly was aware of tears streaming down his face, and down Five’s face as well.

The remainder of his self-control failed him, and he strode forward, then Five leaned forward instinctively and they connected in a tight embrace. He could feel his brother’s arms gripping around him tightly, and he struggled to breathe through his sobs.

It was the first time that they had hugged in years, and Diego couldn’t remember when they had ever been this physically close. His brother felt so small and fragile, but he squeezed him hard because he needed that reassurance that Five was _here._

“Fuck, Five, I love you, okay?” he said. He buried his face into Five’s dirty, ash-covered hair, feeling the wetness of his tears against his cheeks. “I’m sorry I yelled at you, and that I didn’t help you more when you needed me. I don’t blame you for Patch, I never did.”

Five was sobbing too hard to speak properly, however Diego could hear him gasp, “ _l-love you too_.”

They stayed like that for a time, until finally Diego reluctantly detached from Five, crouching down to look him in the eyes and give him a once over.

Five’s face was dirty from having been outside, although he had tear streaks running down his face cutting through the grime, and he looked tired. He also, however, looked healthier than he had before, not half-starved as he had been previously.

Diego reached up to wipe away the tears with his thumb, and Five let him, leaning into the touch.

“She…I didn’t…she said she wouldn’t come back for me for another f-forty or fifty years,” Five said miserably, wiping at his eyes and smearing dirt over his face. “I thought…I thought I was going to be trapped alone for that long.”

A rush of cold fury, the likes of which he had never felt before, seeped through Diego at his words.

He swore to himself that if he ever found this Handler bitch he would gut her like a fish.

“Oh, _Fivey_ ,” Klaus said softly, his hand gently threading through Five’s hair. He also looked a crying mess, and Diego suspected that Ben probably looked no better, if ghosts could cry. “We’re sorry that happened, but you’re not alone now. Diego and I are here.” He looked just as shaken yet as deliriously happy as Diego felt at that moment.

“And Ben too,” Diego said, grinning widely. “He insisted on coming to see you as well.”

“Ben’s here too?” Five reached up to wipe at his face, and immediately Diego caught sight of the gruesome knife wound once again.

He caught Five’s wrist in his hand, frowning as he stared at the bleeding cut.

“Fuck, Five, I’m sorry about this-”

Five snorted, pulling his hand away gently. “Don’t be, it’s a scratch. I nearly _shot_ you both. I couldn’t recognize you under all the…dirt, and when I saw the briefcase I just assumed you were the Commission coming to finish me off or something.”

“Still, we should get that cleaned up,” he said.

Five reached down to pick up the gun, slinging it around his shoulder carefully. He gestured over to a red wagon filled with books and other miscellaneous items, which was sitting a few feet away by the dilapidated couch.

“I just need to grab my wagon, and then I’ll show you guys where I’m staying.”

* * *

Five had been impressed by the fact that Klaus had managed to open the vaulted door. The owner had left a coded message in the bunker on how to open the vault from both inside and outside, however Five had never bothered to decode it since he could just teleport in and out.

“Eh, I had some help,” Klaus explained cryptically. He was holding their briefcase close to his chest.

Diego had pulled open the vault to climb in, while Five simply teleported in ahead of him. By the time Klaus had followed, their brother had lit up the bunker with numerous battery powered lights and candles, which did a decent job of illuminating the bunker although it was helped by the daylight streaming in.

He felt a bit guilty watching as Five switched on or light all of them, as he could tell Five was only doing it for their benefit. He imagined that the Five probably spent most of his time with only one light source to conserve energy.

Living in this bunker would be a toss up between having a proper light source and having shelter, and the idea made Diego so claustrophobic that he almost wanted to climb straight back out.

Instead he surveyed the bunker with forced interest. Already he could see signs that Five had been living there for a little while, although not particularly neatly.

There were books strewn around, again with the beginning of numerous mathematical equations like they had found in the library. Wrappers and cans littered the place, as did dirty clothes and multiple dusty items which had clearly been collected from outside the bunker.

It was a lot less clean than the little library corner they had stumbled across, which didn’t bode well for Five’s current state of mind.

Five brought his wagon to a small desk which was littered in papers, and began to pile the books he’d found onto the bookshelf next to it. When he was done he turned around and set the wagon against the wall.

“Sorry about all…this,” he said, gesturing towards the piles of cans. “I kind of…lost interest in spring cleaning since landing back here.”

Diego swallowed, not wanting to think about Five’s past few months here.

“Hey, who’s this lovely lady?” Klaus asked brightly.

He was pointing at a mannequin who had been carefully seated at a table, dressed in a sequined blouse and straw hat. The two chairs had been placed facing each other, and between them was a chess board with an unfinished game. 

He picked himself up from the floor and sat himself down at the table, studying the board intently. 

“It looks like she’s winning,” he said solemnly, placing a finger on one of the pawns.

“She is,” Five said, moving to stand next to the mannequin and looking Diego and Klaus with an air of seriousness that was unusual to see on a kid his age.

“Diego, Klaus, this is my friend, Dolores,” he said, without a trace of humor. He looked at the mannequin. “Dolores, this is Diego and Klaus, two of my brothers I told you about.”

“Hi Dolores!” Klaus responded cheerfully, without skipping a beat. “Ben says hi too.”

Diego nodded respectfully, even though he didn’t quite understand. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

The pleased look on his brother’s face made it all worth it.

Five stared at the board for a second before moving one of the pieces on his side, and then contemplating the board. He then moved a piece on Dolores’ side and nodded respectfully.

“Looks like you beat me again, Dolores. How’d you get so good at this?” He turned, reaching up to pull off the scarf around his neck and wrapping it around Dolores’ neck carefully. “I haven’t won a game against her yet, even though I’ve been practicing every day.”

“Guess you need to practice more then,” Diego said. “You got a med kit? And water?” Now that the adrenaline had worn off from all the fighting, he was hit with a sudden wave of unbearable thirst.

When Five opened a pantry stocked with shelves of food and water, he and Klaus both dug into it immediately to help quench their thirst and hunger.

Gulping down that first drink of water was dizzyingly good, and although he felt strangely ashamed for digging through Five’s food stocks he didn’t protest when Five brought out enough rations for a full day’s meal.

Klaus downed an entire bottle of water. Diego refused to let him stop as he needed the hydration more than any of them.

The three of them sat on the single bed facing each other, digging through jars of peanut butter, jam and crackers while Diego set to work helping Five clean up the knife wound. Fortunately Five had found a first aid kit a few days ago, which had everything they needed to take care of their injuries.

It didn’t look as bad as he’d thought once it was cleaned up, and much shallower than he’d expected although it was a long cut. Five barely said a word when he cleaned around it and bandaged it carefully. They would take care of it properly when they were back at the Academy.

Next he took care of the graze in his knee. Five looked guilty at the sight of it, but Diego waved off his concerns.

“It was a good shot, I shouldn’t have been so careless.”

“I almost killed you,” Five said, looking sick. “That first shot, I mean. I…I had the idea to shoot you and take the briefcase, use it to get back to where I’d left. I was aiming for your chest but…guess I’m not a very good shot and I missed.”

Diego smirked. “Gotta say I’m pretty grateful you missed.”

“I tried to practice, but I didn’t want to run out of bullets.”

“Well all I can say is that ten Commission agents couldn’t get a drop of blood out of us, but you actually managed to get a hit,” he said, unable to hide how proud he was of that fact. He reached out to ruffle Five’s hair playfully, something he’d never done before, and his brother grinned and shoved him off.

“Maybe I’m just a natural,” Five said smugly. He picked up a cracker and dipped it in the jam, before suddenly pausing and staring frantically. “Wait, what? What Commission agents?”

“The agents who were waiting outside. We thought you were one of them,” Klaus said, through a mouthful of jam. “The Handler must have sent them to stop us from getting you back. Hazel warned us she might do that. Don’t worry though, yours truly took care of them with his ghostly powers.” Klaus pointed at himself with his thumbs. He hissed at the space next to him teasingly. “Yeah, yeah, Ben helped a bit as well.”

Five relaxed somewhat, although Diego could see the gears turning in his head.

“What are you thinking?”

“Well, if there were agents, then they must have used a briefcase to travel here,” Five said. “I’m assuming that Hazel’s going to want his back, so it would good to have a spare. If we don’t figure out how to stop the Apocalypse, having our own one could buy us some time.”

Diego nodded in agreement. “That’s a good idea.”

“Obviously, I came up with it.”

Klaus snorted and slapped a hand over his face to suppress his laughter as Five picked up another cracker and ate it.

“Smartass,” Diego muttered, although he wasn’t too annoyed. He wiped the jam from his face, feeling satisfied although he couldn’t wait to get a hot meal. “Okay, let’s go get it. I don’t want to stay a second longer than I have to here.”

“Works for me.”

Five blinked straight to the bottom of the ladder, waiting for them expectantly as they climbed off the bed.

Diego could tell that he was just as reluctant to leave their sight, as they were to let him. He followed after, and Five waited until they had climbed out before he teleported to follow them.

They searched the area where the Commission agents had ambushed them, splitting up however not far enough that they couldn’t see each other.

It wasn’t long before Diego found a briefcase tucked away under a fallen wall close to the vaulted door. The sniper, the one he had thought was Five when he was shooting at them, was laying broken and bloodied several feet away. It seemed that even from his hiding place he hadn’t been able to escape the beast inside of Ben.

He picked up the briefcase with the utmost care, and when he turned back he could see Five walking across the street looking pleased by his find.

Diego felt the swell of emotions rising in him again.

They were going home. But more importantly, they were getting Five the hell out of this Apocalypse so he wouldn’t be trapped here for a half century.

For the first time in a long time, he felt like he’d actually done something right.

They grouped back at the bunker. As they prepared for the jump back, Diego handed his briefcase to Klaus so that he could grab Hazel’s one, while Five moved to gather a few things.

Diego watched as he slid a red book into his blazer, before picking up Dolores and holding her tightly. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the mannequin coming with them, but Five seemed too attached to leave her without putting up a fight.

The three of them stood together, Klaus holding a briefcase in one hand and the arm Diego was using to hold Hazel’s briefcase in the other. Diego reached out and wrapped his arm around Five’s shoulders tighter than necessary.

Five didn’t protest, shifting Dolores up to reposition his grasp on her, before reaching up to clasp Diego’s hand.

He squeezed the button on the handle of the briefcase. The blue light flashed, the world distorted, and they left the Apocalypse.

* * *

Arriving in the Apocalypse had been one of the most disorienting shifts Diego had experienced. Landing in that dusty, smoky atmosphere with nothing but destruction around them had hit him like a punch to the chest and left him breathless.

Strangely enough, leaving it was even more of a shock to the system.

Diego had spent many days now staring out at a grey sky and a ruined world, breathing in the murky air and feeling the blanket of dust clinging to him.

Landing back in the mansion, where he was somehow expected to believe that not even _an hour_ had passed, felt like an impossibility.

The moment his feet hit the ground and he was met with the sight of Hazel casually sitting at the bar sipping what looked like a margarita, the events of the past several days slapped him in the face and sent him reeling.

Fuck. _Fuck_.

He took in a deep breath of the cleanest most beautiful air, and revelled in the sensation. He would never take breathing in this air for granted again.

Hazel glanced at his watch and whistled.

“Right on time, fellas, and with Five too,” he said, sounding impressed. “I wasn’t sure you’d make it. From the looks of you guys, I take it that you didn’t find him immediately?”

Diego cleared his throat, feeling like he was dislodging a year’s worth of ash.

“Uh, no, not quite. It’s been almost two weeks,” he said when he was finally able to speak. Hazel’s raised his eyebrows in surprise, however he didn’t say anything. “Your…uh, briefcase.”

Hazel took it from him, setting it on the barstool carefully

“Thanks, although I can see you guys got a hold of another one. I’m guessing temporal assassins sent to eliminate you before you reached Five?”

“Yeah, got it in one.”

“As I’d suspected. You’ll need to remove the tracker from the new briefcase, otherwise they’ll be able to locate you wherever you go.” He put his hand out to Klaus, who passed it to him without question. They watch as he thumbed the combination locks before opening the briefcase and removing the pill-shaped tracker. Once he’d crushed it under his foot, he turned back to look at Five, who hadn’t moved from where he was next to Diego.

He was still clutching Dolores close to his chest and was staring at Hazel with a stubborn defiance, although Diego could feel him trembling slightly. Whether it was from fear or the ongoing shock of having escaped the Apocalypse for a second time, he wasn’t sure.

In any case he kept his arm settled around Five’s shoulder and squeezed gently.

“Why’d you help us?” Five asked boldly, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You were right there when she…when it happened, so why help us now?”

Hazel grimaced, and Diego was suddenly reminded of who the hell Hazel was in the grand scheme of things. The assassin who had hunted his brother down mercilessly, who had killed Patch, and who had apparently been present when Five had been thrown straight back into hell.

It all felt like a lifetime ago, and Diego was too emotionally exhausted to conjure up the vindictive rage within him.

“As I told your brothers, I have a vested interest in a doughnut shop,” Hazel said.

Five looked befuddled for a second, before his eyes widened in understanding. Diego still had no idea what it even meant, but he felt Five relax under his grip suddenly.

“Wait, you mean…”

“I’d already been reconsidering my time with the Commission for a while, but I guess all of this just pushed me over the edge. Agnes mentioned you a few times, said you were a good kid getting into a lot of trouble. She seems pretty fond of you,” Hazel said, his cool demeanour breaking slightly to reveal a lovestruck man underneath. “I thought I’d do my part in helping you prevent the Apocalypse, before Agnes and I hit the road to make our own way.”

A pleased smile spread over Five’s face, and under his breath he muttered:

“Well, shit, good for her.”

“I’ll tell her you’re doing okay, she’ll be glad to hear it,” Hazel said.

“Thanks, Hazel,” Five said, with genuine gratitude. “I appreciate it.”

“My pleasure.”

“Although,” his face fell slightly. “To be honest with you, I don’t have any more leads than I did before you guys caught me. I’d pretty much run out of ideas after Meritech was destroyed.”

Hazel hummed thoughtfully.

“I had figured, however I brought something which I thought might be useful to you. Cha Cha and I received this reassignment earlier today. I figured it might help.”

He took out a rolled up piece of paper in his pocket and handed it to Five, who took it with unsteady fingers and opened it.

Whatever was in the note made his face pale with shock, and after a few seconds of tense silence he swallowed.

“Hazel…you have no idea how much this helps,” he said, voice barely a whisper. He stared up at Hazel with an intensity that Diego had only seen in the past few days whenever Five had spoken about stopping the Apocalypse, however for the first time he looked hopeful. “I hope things work out for you and Agnes. Really, I do.”

The two of them shared a look that was akin to two weary, long-time comrades parting ways after many years of tribulations, and Diego almost felt like he was intruding on a private moment. 

Hazel picked up the briefcase, holding it closely to his side. He seemed unconcerned by its dirtiness.

He nodded at Klaus who gave him a small smile, before turning to Diego and hesitating slightly.

“About your detective friend-”

“We’re even now,” Diego said, and he surprised to find that he meant it.

Eudora’s death would never be okay in his mind, and now that they weren’t under the immediate threat of the Apocalypse, the pain of her loss was coming back in muted waves.

But Hazel had inadvertently taken the life of one of Diego’s loved ones, and now he had given one back.

They weren’t okay, but they were even.

Hazel took his leave then, and when the door closed behind them the three of them slumped down with a collective weariness.

Diego’s whole body ached as he realized that he hadn’t eaten a proper meal for two weeks and had a proper sleep for that amount of time. He knew that they weren’t done yet, that the Apocalypse was still incoming, but he felt like it was something that he could deal with later.

Right now they needed to tend to their immediate needs.

“Right, we stink like shit,” he said tiredly. “I vote we all take a shower, then head to the kitchen for a proper meal.”

“You mean like together?” Klaus asked, waggling his eyebrows. “Diego, you _saucy_ minx!”

Diego shot him a look, although frankly after the adventure they’d just had he felt like he could never be mad at Klaus’ jokes again.

At his side Five snorted giddily, before slumping against the back of the couch with a tiredness that was tangible. Diego looked him up and down, noting how pale his face still was and how his whole body trembled slightly. He didn’t look entirely unhealthy, but he definitely hadn’t been feasting his way through that bunker.

“You doing okay, Five?” Klaus asked, asking the question that Diego was thinking. “What does that note say?”

Five shook his head, still clutching the paper tightly between his fingers.

“Not now,” he said. “Diego’s right, we need to…freshen up. Shower. Eat. Sleep. We’re not going to get anything done when we’re like this.”

It was such a far cry from the Five who had been pushing through to solve the Apocalypse at every step, which told Diego just how exhausted Five was. The kid was barely standing on his own two feet, swaying slightly.

Klaus shrugged and stretched out the arm that wasn’t holding the briefcase dramatically.

“Alright, sounds good to me,” he said, yawning dramatically. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go take a long bath where I’ll probably fall asleep in the tub. Maybe check up on me in half an hour to make sure I haven’t drowned.”

“Noted,” Five said dryly, moving to follow him up the stairs. He shifted until Dolores was being carefully held under his arm. 

Diego walked up as well behind them, and as they reached the top of the stairs he found himself needing a burning question answered before they separated.

“Five.”

His brother turned to look at him questioningly. In the light Diego could see the dark circles under his eyes, nearly hidden under the dirt on his face.

Christ, Five looked like he’d been through the wars.

“Yeah?”

Diego hesitated, wondering whether he really wanted to know the answer to this question. Klaus had paused as well to look behind them with curiosity.

“How long were you in the Apocalypse? The first time…and the second time.” 

Five thought for a second. “Well…I don’t know the exact number of days, but the first time I was there for just over seven months. And this time I guess, maybe five months?”

A sick feeling gripped Diego’s stomach, and he fought to keep his expression neutral. Behind Five, he could see Klaus’ face drop with dismay as he also struggled to come to terms with what Five had just said.

“Right, got it,” he said softly, before gesturing for Five to keep moving.

He tried not to think about how badly he had fucked up, how if he had just paid attention from the beginning maybe they could have avoided this and saved their brother the grief of being dumped back into that wasteland for five more months, and thinking he would spent nearly five decades alone.

As they each separated into their own rooms, he kept a watchful eye on Five until the bedroom door closed behind him.

He knew that he couldn’t change the past, but he could make damn sure he wouldn’t make that same mistake with Five again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The boys are finally back on track (although a little winded from their side adventure). 
> 
> Thank you for reading, any comments are appreciated <3


	13. Unlimited, uncontrollable and dangerous rumors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of your amazing comments, they have been so great at keeping me motivated while writing this fic, which has been undoubtedly one of the longest I've ever written. Only three chapters left including this one, I can't believe how close we are now!

When Five had opened his eyes that morning, he had been expecting the cold grey walls of the bunker to greet him as they had done for the past few months. He had been expecting to live nothing but the same, endless routine he’d been experiencing since he had been cruelly thrown back into his worst nightmare.

That was what the Apocalypse was to him. A waking, neverending nightmare.

After The Handler had abandoned him, he had spent the first few days weeping uncontrollably on the unforgiving floor of the bunker. The resulting concussion from Hazel knocking him out and the shock of landing back in his own personal hell had kept him grounded, unable to move even in the pitch black darkness of the bunker.

He had tried over and over again to travel back using his powers but just like the first time he had landed, it had been no use. He would simply pass out from exhaustion after multiple attempts, and wake up to another round of tears and denial.

Dolores had been his lifeline. She had comforted while he broke down, encouraged him to take care of himself and let him grieve for himself as much as he needed. 

He thought of his brothers and sisters, of how he had abandoned them for the second time in their lives and how they would have no idea where he went. Perhaps they would even think he had run away, unable to look them in the eyes after what had happened with Patch and Diego.

Maybe they would think he had died at the hands of Hazel and Cha Cha.

It didn’t matter what they believed. Eventually they would have lost any hope of seeing him as the years passed and he failed to show up again. Just like the first time, they would have eventually been forced to simply move on with their lives and forget about him.

It had been truly draining to feel nothing but anger and grief day in and day out, and after several days of this breakdown, he had woken up one day simply feeling nothing.

It was as if his emotions had become too much for his brain to handle and he had shut down entirely.

An emptiness that he had never experienced before had dug its way into his mind, and he was no longer able to conjure up what had once made him feel human.

It had been a relief.

He had restarted the process of surviving in a world with almost no hope, going through the motions that to keep himself alive but losing all motivation as to why he wouldn’t even bother. The drive that had once kept him going had been nearly snuffed out, and if it weren’t for the tiny hope of seeing his family again keeping him going, even fifty years into the future, then he would likely have let himself simply lay down and waste away.

He felt like he would have kept going like that for the rest of his time there, if it weren’t for a certain book.

 _The_ book.

_R.H._

His father’s journal, which had been tucked into his blazer and forgotten until months into his second round of isolation.

He had immersed himself into his father’s notes, reading and re-reading Reginald’s impassive, often cruel observations of Five and his siblings. He had devoured those observations with feverish necessity, using those scraps of knowledge as reminders of why he had to survive, why he _needed_ to survive.

The notebook had outlined his father’s own objectives regarding his children. He had wanted them to tap into the full potential of their powers, to build them into perfect little soldiers so they could use use those powers not only to protect themselves but their siblings as well, and the rest of the world. From what though, Reginald never specified.

It was beyond enlightening, however Five could see the major flaw in Reginald’s plan, and what had ultimately been the undoing of their family.

Reginald, in all of his wisdom, had attempted to instill loyalty through authority, power and fear.

Five believed he would have had much more success with even an ounce of compassion and understanding.

He thought for many nights of how his siblings had expressed their deepest desires to simply love and be loved, and how Reginald had been so intelligent yet so blind to the one key ingredient that would have likely helped him reach his goal.

Diego, who would lay down his life for their mother, a robot programmed by their father. Luther desperately translating their father’s ruthless actions as love. Allison repeatedly reaching out to her sister to make amends. Klaus drowning himself in drugs but still somehow maintaining the closest relationships. Ben dying violently without his siblings by his side. Even Five, who would work himself to death for his undying loyalty to his siblings, but not their father.

Vanya pouring her trauma and frustrations into a book that only served to widen the gap between them.

It was, without a doubt, Reginald’s excerpts on Vanya which had driven Five out of his depression and into another state of focus entirely.

He had pored over them, again and again and again until they had been memorized entirely.

“ _…her abilities would be_ _unlimited_ _, uncontrollable and dangerous_ _…”_

 _“…it is for the greater good that her abilities should remain a_ _ secret _ _._ _”_

_“Methods of limiting her powers…”_

_“Mood altering medication to keep her sedated.”_

To think that Harold Jenkins would have access to these notes rankled Five and made him want all the more to stop this man. It was an invasion of his family’s privacy and even worse, ammunition with which to use Vanya to rip them apart.

Harold Jenkins’ objective was clear: to manipulate Vanya into using her powers and subsequently destroy the rest of her family.

The motive? Five didn’t know, and frankly he didn’t care.

There was no motive good enough that would have made Five want to crush him less.

It was only until Hazel had handed him that note that the final puzzle piece had slotted into place. That his growing theory had been confirmed.

As he gazed at the ceiling of his bedroom, he couldn’t help but feel relief at that burning sense of purpose. Finally, after nearly a year, he _knew_ what caused the Apocalypse, and what he had to do to stop it.

He forced himself out of bed, limbs heavy from sleep, and changed into the Academy uniform, something which he didn’t want to admit comforted him greatly. The clothes he had been wearing in the Apocalypse had been tossed in the trash, and he could see that Grace must have already taken them out.

He was glad to not have to look at them.

Picking up the briefcase, which Klaus had kindly left in his room, he headed down to the kitchen where he found Diego and Klaus having breakfast and chatting amicably.

He had to stop at the sight of them and take a breath. Seeing them now, when he was sure that he might never again in his lifetime, made his heart feel so full he was scared he might break down once again.

After months of emptiness, he struggled under the weight of emotion.

“Morning, sleeping beauty,” Diego said, grinning at him teasingly. He sat down on the chair opposite Klaus with a carefully straight face and placed the briefcase on the table. “You’re in luck, Mom’s making pancakes today as a treat.”

“Wonderful,” Five yawned, with no trace of sarcasm. “Where are Allison and Luther?”

“They called the Academy last night while we were asleep apparently.” Diego popped a syrupy pancake piece into his mouth, the dreamy expression on his face clearly showing his enjoyment at finally having real food. “Mom told them you were home and safe, and apparently they went out to follow a lead, whatever that means.”

“Good morning, Five!” Grace said, placing a plate with a massive stack of pancakes and blueberries in front of him. She stood by his side and beamed down at him. “I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re back with us, safe and sound. Your brothers have been telling me how they rescued you from a zombie apocalypse.”

“Thanks, Mom. Sounds like they’ve been embellishing a little bit,” he smiled at her and dug into his pancakes, feeling ravenous. His gaze dropped down to her wrist where he noticed a long scar that had been stitched up carefully. He frowned, reaching up to touch her wrist. “Who did this to you?”

 _“_ Pogo fixed her hardware,” Diego said through a mouthful of pancakes. “She’s back to her old self again. Even better actually, since he lifted some of the restrictions Dad placed on her and introduced some new functions.” It was obvious that he was buzzing with happiness at this new development.

“Apparently Mom is self-learning and has autonomy now!” Klaus added. “If we’re not careful, she might go all SkyNet and spark the robot revolution against us.”

“Shut up, Klaus.”

Five nodded, pleased. That was one less thing weighing on his family’s mind. He was curious what this new self-learning, autonomous function would mean for them, but considering Grace was still here and joyfully caring for them he wasn’t too worried.

“How long have I been asleep? I don’t remember anything after my shower.”

“Well, probably because you passed out on the bed right after you showered,” Klaus laughed. “Diego found you sleeping like an angel and tucked you in. It was adorable, I wish I could have taken a picture.”

Five flushed, shooting him a look.

He remembered now how he had tried to get dressed after his shower, only to sit on the bed _just for a quick rest_ and nothing after that. He must have been more tired than he thought.

“You shouldn’t have let me sleep for so long. We only have two days left to stop the Apocalypse, which means we’ve wasted precious time,” he said, although it sounded weak to his own ears. He didn’t think that any of them would have had the strength to do much of anything last night after their ordeal.

“Five, I don’t think a tornado would have woken up, you were that tired,” Diego said, looking unconcerned. “Anyway I passed out as well after checking on you. Best sleep I’ve had in years.”

“Oh, same here. Washing off all that apocalypse dirt off last night was like…experiencing a thousand orgasms all at once,” Klaus said, stretching his arms over his head. “I’m pretty sure I ascended to Nirvana when I stepped out and didn’t smell my own armpits for the first time in half a month.”

“Charming,” Diego quipped, wrinkling his nose. “Anyone want a coffee? I uh, picked some up this morning while you guys were still asleep.”

The other two nodded, Five particularly eagerly. He hadn’t had coffee since being back in the Apocalypse, hot water being a non-existent luxury.

Diego went to what looked like a brand new coffee machine, switching it on and looking relaxed as he made their coffees.

The sight of it made Five realize that Diego must have picked up both the coffee and the machine for his benefit specifically, and was touched by the thoughtful gesture.

“So…how long were you guys even in the Apocalypse?” Five asked, brows furrowed. “How did you even find me? I’m guessing you would have landed at the Academy, unless Hazel knew where the-um, h-his boss sent me?”

He hoped they hadn’t noticed his slip up.

Just the mention of the Handler, the mere _thought_ of her was enough to send his heart racing into panic.

He couldn’t bring himself to say her name, not now. He wasn’t ready.

Klaus grinned widely and pointed two thumbs to himself.

“Oh, that would be thanks to _moi_. Turns out you’re a pretty hot topic in the Apocalypse ghost community, being the lone survivor and all. We were wandering around for about a week before we found a ghost, then we trekked for another couple days before finding you. Honestly, Five, I’ve gotta say I’m impressed you managed to survive a whole year there. Diego and I were pretty much screwed less than a month in, and that was _with_ all the rations Mom had so lovingly packed for us.”

Five swallowed, the vision of his brothers starving to death in that wasteland hitting too close to home. The thought of it made his stomach churn with remorse.

“Shit, I’m-”

“Oh no, you don’t. Hell no,” Diego interrupted, setting down a coffee in front of him. “I know what you’re thinking, and like hell we’re going to let you apologize. Klaus and I made a choice to go in after you, and we would have done it over a thousand times if it meant getting you the hell out of there. You’ve been doing nothing but try and save us all, so if anything it’s our fault for not recognizing that earlier.”

“Thank you,” Five said, feeling that familiar rush of overwhelming emotion, the same that he had felt upon seeing them yesterday for the first time in months. “Seriously, I…thank you.”

He picked up the coffee and took a sip, if only for something to calm his nerves. He relished the bitter taste and how it burned his tongue as it went down.

“Any time, Five,” Klaus said breezily.

Diego reached forward and squeezed Five’s arm in a gesture of comfort, giving him a small smile.

“Speaking of apocalypses, what was in that note Hazel gave you? Looked important.”

Five automatically reached into his blazer pocket, where he had stuffed the note haphazardly this morning. He had also grabbed Reginald’s book before heading down, and he pulled out both of these items and set them on the table in front of them.

“The answer to everything,” he said, somewhat mysteriously. Hell, it felt good to have his siblings actually listening to him for once. “Hazel said he got this as a reassignment. There’s no reason for that to happen, unless the Commission knew that we were getting closer to the truth.”

He smoothed the note out and pushed it to the middle of the table so the other two could see it.

Klaus picked it up and read it out loud:

“Reassignment: Protect Harold Jenkins…who the hell is that?”

“Harold Jenkins is a student of Vanya’s…although at this point he’s probably gotten to be a bit more than that,” Five said matter-of-factly. “Allison and I ran into him snooping around Vanya’s apartment. I followed him to his house and tried to search for any criminal records of him, see what game he was playing at.”

“Wait, Vanya’s student? I know that guy,” Diego said, looking thoughtful. “He was here with Vanya a few days-uh, wait, actually it would have been yesterday in this timeline.” He was clearly still trying wrap his head around the time travel thing, and the fact that they had traveled back to merely an hour after leaving.

Five looked up sharply, alarmed by this revelation.

“He was here? Did he say anything?”

“Uh, I don’t think so. We were all pretty distracted about where you’d disappeared off to, so they left pretty quickly.”

He frowned, disturbed by this revelation. He wasn’t a fan of the thought that Jenkins had been anywhere near his siblings. It scared him enough to think that the man could be with Vanya right now, never mind getting closer to the rest of them.

“Well, I found some interesting… _things_ at his house. Something probably best described as an overzealous murder shrine to the Umbrella Academy,” he said, remembering the attic he had stumbled upon all those months ago. “The guy has pictures of us back when we were crime fighting kids plastered all over the walls, only our eyes all scratched out. Our old action figures, melted beyond repair. Newspapers, magazines clippings, all that kind of stuff.”

“That sounds…creepy as hell,” Klaus said, looking disturbed.

“That’s not even the worst of it.” Five slid Reginald’s book across the table, the bright gold R.H. plain for everyone to see. “He had _this_ in his room.”

“Wait, is that-”

“Yeah. Dad’s journal.”

Klaus grabbed it without hesitation, flipping through the pages eagerly, eyes wide with child-like curiosity.

“Holy shit! That has all of Dad’s douchey notes about us from when we were kids! Wonder what he said about me…” He scanned the pages eagerly, searching for any mention of his name. “How did Jenkins even get a hold of this?”

“No idea, but Jenkins has been using that to manipulate Vanya this whole time,” Five said. “I’ve spent the past few _months_ combing through that book over and over again. Initially it was just out of curiosity, however the more I read the more I started to hypothesize that the answer to what causes the Apocalypse is in _this book_. When Hazel gave me that note, it just confirmed my theory.”

“Oh yeah, and what’s that?”

“Harold Jenkins is the trigger for the Apocalypse, and Vanya is the cause.”

Neither of them spoke for a few seconds, and Five could almost see the gears turning in both of their heads.

Klaus lowered the book slowly, eyes darting between Five and an equally incredulous Diego. He seemed at at loss for words, and when he finally spoke his voice was tinted with disbelief:

“Sorry, I must have misheard you. Did you say _Vanya_ was the cause of the Apocalypse? Sweet, timid, ordinary Vanya?”

Five reached over and snagged the book from Klaus’ hands, flipping through pages he had dog-eared when he’d been reading the book over and over again.

“I think you’ll find she’s anything _but_ ordinary. Seems like dear old Dad was keeping secrets from us - namely that Vanya had powers just like the rest of us. Powers that he described as _unlimited, uncontrollable and dangerous_ ,” he said, reading out the words on the page. “You remember those pills Vanya was always popping?He kept her on medication throughout most of her life, to keep her powers under control and to prevent her from becoming a danger.”

“Okay…” Diego said, speaking slowly as he processed the new information with difficulty. “That’s messed up as hell. But how do we get from powers to Apocalypse? That’s a pretty big jump.”

Five struggled to contain his impatience, if only from gratitude that the two of them actually seemed to believe him.

Unlike his brothers, he had had several months to come to terms with this revelation and the notion that their own sister, who had never hurt anyone before, could be the one to reduce this world into the nothingness he had been trapped in for an entire year.

Even now, it seemed almost unbelievable to think that gentle Vanya would ever be capable of killing any of them.

“I know it’s a big jump, and I didn’t make the connection at first. Not until this note from Hazel,” he picked it up, holding it up so they could read it. “ _Protect Harold Jenkins_. The Hand-um, the o-only reason they would want to protect Harold Jenkins is because they need him alive, so that the Apocalypse can happen.”

His face flushed as he stammered, but the other two hadn’t noticed, too intent on what he was saying.

“That…makes sense, but what does that mean we need to do?”

“Isn’t it obvious? We need…” he scowled, dropping the note onto the table. He wasn’t sure if what he was about to say would be well received. “If the Commission want him protected, then we need to kill him. If he dies, then he can’t manipulate Vanya into causing the Apocalypse and destroying everything. End of story.”

“Kill him?” Klaus repeated, looking slightly put out. “Does it really have to go as far as murder? Can’t we just…cripple him?”

“We can’t take that chance.”

Diego frowned, taking a few seconds to ponder what Five was saying. He and Klaus shared a look, however it was indecipherable and Five wasn’t entirely sure whether it was a good look or a bad look.

He steeled himself against their upcoming protests, determined to defend his position until the end.

“Okay, fine, whatever. I’m not going to cry over this asshole,” Diego finally said. “If he wanted to play with fire, he should have prepared to be burned.”

Five exhaled, all defensiveness falling from him in an instant.

“We go with your plan and we find this Gerald Jenkins guy-”

“Harold Jenkins.”

“Whatever, we find him and _I_ kill him, then we figure out how to handle Vanya.”

“What?” Five said, offended. “Why do _you_ get to be the one to kill him?”

“Because one, Klaus sure as hell isn’t going to be able to kill him, and two, like hell I’m letting my _fourteen_ year old kid brother do it,” Diego said without hesitation. “This guy looked pretty scrawny, but he was still bigger than you, so we’re not taking any chances. I kill Jenkins, and you just stay back.”

Five crossed his arms, resisting the urge to sulk like a child although he knew that was Diego was saying was made sense.

Diego, without a doubt, had vastly more experience in killing criminals in cold blood.

He had killed people before, the occasional criminal and the gunmen at Griddy’s, but only ever when directly threatened. In fact he made it a point to avoid killing whenever possible, and he suspected that when his siblings were his age they had done the same subconsciously, although it wasn’t always possible.

His powers allowed him to be quick and clever against his enemies, and in most cases that meant he could avoid killing. Knocking someone unconscious or taking away their weapons was usually enough to defuse a threat.

In this case however, only cold hard death was enough to convince Five that his family would be safe from Harold Jenkins.

* * *

As it turned out, Vanya and Harold weren’t at her apartment. Nor were they at Harold Jenkins’ house, or the theatre where she played, or the woodworking shop he apparently owned when they asked the neighbors where he worked.

Breaking into Jenkins’ house had been easy enough the second time, and Klaus had gotten a kick out of seeing the stalker shrine that had been made of them. They had scoured through the house however there was no indication as to where Leonard or Vanya might have gone.

Frustrated, they traced down everyone who ever knew Harold Jenkins and Leonard Peabody, which seemed to be easy enough to count on one hand.

The man was an apparent loner, with very few friends and no family to speak of that anyone knew of, which meant that any and all leads fizzled out within the first few hours.

Vanya herself wasn’t much easier to track down.

Her orchestra wasn’t playing today, and she had no friends who could help them locate her.

Five couldn’t help but be saddened when they found her address book on the kitchen, and he opened it to find it practically empty. The Academy’s number was there, along with her work and a few other important contacts such as her doctor, emergency contacts and a number for a music shop.

She didn’t even seem to have the numbers of any of their siblings, a fact which once again made Five wonder what had really happened in the time between his departure and his reemergence.

He’d never been blind to all of their issues, considering what a unique upbringing they had all had, but he’d been optimistic that they would have remained close. It had never occurred to him that any of them would truly drift apart as much as they had, to the point of not speaking to each other for over a decade.

The past few days he’d spent with their siblings had undoubtedly shattered any rose-tinted view he’d had of his family life.

It worried him to think what would happen once this was all over. If his siblings would simply drift back into their lives, out of touch and lose any interest in him.

He struggled to shake these thoughts away as they searched, however as the day wore on and they were unable to find either Jenkins or Vanya, a new worry arose.

“How the hell can two people be so hard to find?” Five muttered as they drove through the city.

Diego had had one last idea to check with his contacts at the police station before heading back to the Academy. They hadn’t found a file on Leonard Peabody, but potentially Harold Jenkins could still have a criminal record.

The thought of going back to the police station made Five feel nauseous, but if Diego could bear it, then so could he.

They parked outside, Diego ordering them to wait in the car before climbing out. Five watched as his brother disappeared behind an alleyway and he was left in the car with Klaus.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find them,” Klaus said, jerking him out of his thoughts. “Then once we do, Diego can murder that scrawny little prick and we can all live happily ever after or whatever.”

“Yeah…” Five said, although he was unable to keep the uncertainty out of his voice. They had less than two days left, and not much to go on. He decided to distract himself while they waited. “What’s up with you anyway? You seem different.”

“ _Moi_?” Klaus pointed to himself, looking surprised. “Oh, well, that’s because I _am_ different. You’re looking at a new me, dear brother of mine. A completely sober drug free new me.”

“Wait, you got clean? How?”

“Well, funny story actually, but turns out that Mom’s inventory of Apocalypse rations doesn’t include prescription pills or any other kind of drug, which means that I spent about most of my time in the future going through an extremely dangerous drug withdrawal,” Klaus said flippantly.

Five felt his skin crawl at the idea of Klaus going nearly dying in that hell.

He had no experience with drugs and addiction, having left when Klaus was only just getting started, however some of the medical textbooks he had read in the library had given him a vague idea of what was involved in withdrawal.

“Jesus, you could have died…”

“The name’s Klaus actually, and anyway it was all worth it to get you back.”

Five snorted at the lame joke, although he tried to hide it. He didn’t want Klaus thinking that he was funny. Klaus knowingly grinned, although he didn’t call him out.

“Still, you could have used the briefcase to get back here and go through withdrawal safely. Why didn’t you?”

“Well, Hazel said we only had one chance to use the briefcase, otherwise the Commission would come swarming,” Klaus said, for once not a single trace of humor on his face. “We both promised that we were going back with you, or not at all.”

“Shit…thanks.” 

He turned away, not wanting Klaus to see how touched he was, but as always Klaus could never pass up a chance for bonding.

“Aw, Fivey! You look like you’re going to cry-”

“Shut up, I’m not going to cry,” he growled, although he wasn’t sure how true that was. He had been feeling considerably more emotional since Diego and Klaus had found him, however he chalked that up to the recent time travel. Nothing more.

He was saved by Diego opening the car door and sliding in, looking somber.

“Beeman says that he was visited by Allison and Luther yesterday evening, apparently asking about Harold Jenkins,” he said, looking between the two of them. “Apparently Jenkins killed his dad when he was a kid, then spent twelve years in prison for it. Beeman says he gave them Jenkins’ file, although he has no idea why the hell he would do that.”

“Allison rumored him.” Five stated what they were all thinking.

“I thought she wasn’t doing that anymore,” Klaus mused. “She must have been pretty desperate.”

“Seems like it. My guess is they’ve gone after Jenkins.”

Five made a noise of frustration. “Yeah, but where? They could be anywhere right now.”

“No clue,” Diego sighed. He started the car and backed out of their parking space, before heading back towards the Academy. “But either way, we’re not going to find them like this.”

Admitting defeat was not usually in Five’s repertoire, but for once he could see that they were getting nowhere searching for Jenkins and Vanya around the city with no leads.

He had a feeling that Jenkins had deliberately taken Vanya somewhere outside of the city, potentially to keep her away from her family. After all, what better way to manipulate her than to continuously emotionally and physically isolate her from those who cared about her?

His one source of comfort was that he had found his sibling’s bodies close to the Academy, however that had been the first time. Who knows what was different this time around, what Five had inadvertently changed with his meddling?

Once they had arrived back at the Academy, they had barely stepped foot through the door before Grace swooped upon them, hurrying them to the living room.

“Just in time, boys. Your sister is calling,” was all she said, before Five leapt towards the phone and wrenched it up to his ears.

“Allison?” he said urgently.

“ _Five? Is that you?_ _”_ Allison’s sounded almost breathless in her relief. “ _Are you okay? Mom said you_ _’d gotten home, something about Diego and Klaus getting you from the Apocalypse? Is that true-I didn’t really understand-”_

He could barely parse through her barrage of questions, but in the background he could hear shuffling, and then Luther’s voice muffled and far way saying, _‘Is that Five? Is he alright?_ ’

 _“_ Yeah it’s me, I’m okay.” He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling giddy with happiness from hearing their voices. He hadn’t heard either of their voices in almost half a year, and the familiarity was almost too much for him to handle. “I…shit it’s hard to explain, but yeah. I got…Hazel and Cha Cha, the people they work for, sent me back into the Apocalypse.”

“ _Oh god-Five-_ ”

“No, it’s okay, don’t worry about me. Klaus and Diego came to rescue me so I’m fine,” he said hurriedly. He wasn’t fine, not by a long shot, but they didn’t have time to discuss that now. “Look Allison, where are you guys? Diego spoke to a detective at the police station who said you got Harold Jenkins’ file?”

 _“I-yeah, we got his file. He was here with Vanya yesterday, and after Mom said you guy were home safe, I figured that we might as well follow up on him since you said he was bad news. Vanya wasn’t home or at his house so we got worried. Turns out he has a cabin nearby, his grandmother’s cabin._ ”

“Did you find them there?”

 _“No, it was empty, but we found Vanya’s scarf near a diner, apparently there was some sort of incident last night. We’re not sure if she was involved, but one of the policemen is taking us to the hospital to check out the victims. One of them sounds like it could be Jenkins,”_ Allison said.

Five grimaced, wondering what the hell Jenkins had gotten up to last night to land himself in the hospital.

If he was already injured, that would only slow him down. Make it easier to catch him. Make it easier to kill him.

Maybe this could work in their favor.

“What’s the address of the grandmother’s cabin?” he asked, motioning for Diego to get him a pen. His brother did so, pressing one into his hands just in time as Allison rattled off an address, which he wrote on his arm. “Thanks, could you meet us there? We’ll drive up straight away.”

_“Okay, Five, we have to go now, the policeman’s waiting-”_

“Allison, wait, _don_ _’t_ confront Vanya and Jenkins together, you hear me?” Five said quickly, scared she was about to hang up. “I can’t explain everything over the phone, but I found Dad’s journal at Jenkins’ house. Vanya has powers, just like the rest of us, and Jenkins knows about them. I think he’s been manipulating her somehow, trying to turn her against us.”

“ _I-what? Vanya has powers?_ _”_

In the background he could hear Luther sounding just as taken aback, with Allison shushing him quietly.

 _“_ Yes, dangerous ones. Potentially dangerous enough to cause the Apocalypse. Dad’s been keeping her sedated since she was a kid to keep them under control.”

_“Her pills…she said she’d run out of them the other day, but she couldn’t find her refills. Do you think that’s what Leonard was doing when we caught her snooping round her apartment?”_

It took several seconds for Five to remember what the hell she was talking about, he had to cast his mind so far in the past. To her it had been only a few days ago that they had caught Jenkins in Vanya’s apartment, for Five it felt like a lifetime ago.

“Shit, you’re right,” he said, once the fog had cleared. “He must be trying to surface her abilities so she can use them against us. We need to get her the hell away from Harold Jenkins, and fast.”

“ _Oh my god, it all makes sense now._ _”_ Allison sounded horrified, like she was trapped in a distant memory that Five couldn’t see.

“I-what? What makes sense?” Five asked, confused, but she was no longer listening to him.

_“Just-just get up here and meet us at the cabin, at the turn before you go into the forest. I’ll explain when you get here, but we need to get to the hospital now in case Vanya’s still there. We’ll try to get her away from Jenkins. Stay safe, okay?”_

Then she was gone, and Five was left listening to the dial tone.

“Shit,” he muttered, hanging the phone up. He turned to look at Diego and Klaus, who were waiting expectantly. “We need to go, _now_.”

* * *

They had piled into the car, Five holding the briefcase and Klaus sitting up front while Diego drove them to the address Allison had provided. The three of them were silent, too caught up in the possibilities of what they would find when they arrived at the cabin to do much talking.

He stared out the window as they left the city. There wasn’t too much traffic, which meant that they were making good time, but he couldn’t help but feel impatient.

Five could see Diego’s fingers drumming against the wheel the entire time as he drove, his eyes constantly glancing to the rearview mirror, clearly itching to ask him a question. After a few minutes his self control clearly broke in favor of breaking the silence.

“You okay there, Five?”

Five hummed noncommittally. He had a bad feeling in his gut, but he couldn’t place what it was so he didn’t want to verbalize it just yet.

“Can’t you go any faster?” he asked instead, glancing at the speedometer. They were cruising at the speed limit, no more no less. “It’s kind of the end of the world here.”

“Hate to break it to you, but we’ll be a lot more delayed if we get pulled over by the cops, since none of us can rumor a cop like Allison can.”

Five sighed, defeated. “Right, good point.”

Klaus turned around, glancing at the briefcase pensively. “Couldn’t we just…go back in time? Buy ourselves a few more days or something to figure this out?”

Five squeezed the briefcase, pulling it closer to himself instinctively, and shook his head.

“No. Doing that would land us in a timeline with pre-existing versions of ourselves,” he said. “We don’t know what the repercussions of that would be. Not to mention if my theory of time travel is correct, then we would simply be creating an entirely new timeline, dooming the Allison, Luther and Vanya that we know now die. I’m not ready to do that.”

 _Not yet_ , he thought darkly. _Not until there_ _’s no other choice._

“Hazel said something about that, when we were heading into the Apocalypse,” Diego said, sounding slightly unsure. “Something about time travel creating new timelines, rather than going back to change the current timeline.”

“Then my time travel theory was correct,” Five mused.

He didn’t know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, but knowing for certain without a doubt changed his outlook on time travel.

“So what’s the plan?” Klaus asked. “Just show up and kill this Jenkins guy? I’m still not convinced that we need to all out murder him. Could we at least take a vote on this?”

“I say we kill him dead,” Diego volunteered, eyes never leaving the road.

“Okay, that’s one vote for Diego. I’m going to go against killing, and Ben agrees with me- _shut up, yes you do_!”

Five frowned, giving Klaus a stern look.

“Klaus, we need to kill him. Maybe we could have…there could have been other options. But if he’s important enough that the Commission needed to get involved in protecting him, we just can’t trust that getting him away from Vanya will be enough to stop him. It’s him or the rest of the world,” he said firmly. He hesitated when he saw Klaus’s hopeful expression drop. “Sorry, Klaus.”

Klaus scoffed, running a hand through his hair.

“Aw Fivey, no need to apologize. I’m not wasting any tears over this asshole’s death,” he said, giving Five a wide grin. “Just thinking about us you know? What if the police start digging into this guy’s death and trace it back to us? And what about Vanya?”

“We’ll deal with that when we get to it. Allison might need to rumor a few guys, but we’ll be fine,” he said. “Vanya…will understand when we explain it to her.” 

Klaus nodded. “Okay, makes sense to me. So we kill him then, what, get Vanya back on the meds?”

“No, Vanya stays off the meds.”

Diego made a surprised noise, glancing up into the rearview mirror. “Wait, what? But you just told us that she might cause the Apocalypse with her powers. Doesn’t that mean she needs to get back on the meds and get them under control?”

Five shook his head furiously, a surge of protectiveness pulsing through him at the mere thought of it.

“No, it doesn’t,” he said, a surge of protectiveness rushing through him. “Dad thought he was doing the right thing by medicating her and treating her as ordinary, but all he was doing was keeping her abilities bottled up. Letting them simmer under the surface until they became powerful enough to destroy the entire planet.”

He remembered Reginald’s words, they way he had outlined how catastrophic Vanya’s powers would be. How he had kept her isolated from the rest of them, excluding her from everything and anything he possibly could in a bid to hammer into her brain just how _ordinary_ she was.

It would be a cold day in Hell before Five followed Reginald’s way of dealing with his children.

“Vanya’s our sister, and she needs our help,” he said stubbornly. “That means coming together as a family and figuring out how we can support her with her powers, _without_ drugging her.”

“Okay, you’re right,” Diego responded. Five suppressed a sigh of relief. “We’ll figure something out. Together, as a family.”

“As a family,” Klaus echoed, reaching behind to pat Five on the knee. The touch left him feeling warm and secure, knowing for the first time in years that they were all coming together as they should be.

He spent the rest of the drive in restless silence, thinking about what was coming for them.

If Jenkins was immobilized somehow, that would make him easier to kill, but it would also mean that Vanya would be less likely to leave him.

If Vanya had latched onto this man, had fallen for him somehow, then that complicated things immensely. Especially if her powers were tied to her emotions, as their father had suspected.

They needed to treat this with the greatest care, and although sensitivity was not usually in the Hargreeves’ dictionary he trusted that at least Allison might be able to defuse the situation.

She was, in Five’s mind, the most likely one out of their siblings to be able to get through to Vanya.

They approached the forest as the sun was setting, and around them the traffic had completely subsided until they were the only car on the road leading into the forest. A thick atmosphere of tension had fallen on them as they approached their destination, each of them ruminating nervously.

Five watched as the leaves on the trees began to rustle, almost violently as they shook on the branches. Something twisted in his gut, and he frowned at the sight.

“Something’s wrong,” he muttered.

Before either Diego or Klaus could ask him to elaborate, a shockwave rocked through the trees and hit the car, jolting it violently enough that Diego went veering to the side.

“ _Fuck!_ ” he barked, righting it just in time for them not to go skidding off the road. “What the hell was that?”

“Vanya,” Five said breathlessly. “Diego, you gotta-”

“Already there,” Diego said, slamming his foot on the accelerator and gunning it down the road.

As they drove, Five could see further evidence of Vanya’s shockwave the closer they got to the cabin until finally they reached the site of what had looked like some sort of explosion.

The cabin had been utterly destroyed, walls blasted outwards and roof caved in completely. Debris was scattered across the land around them, and the trees were all leaning away from the cabin, forced back by the strength of the shockwave.

As they approached, they spotted a car parked nearby.

“That’s Allison’s car,” Diego said uneasily.

Five’s eyes widened with sickened realization. There was no sign of Allison or Luther anywhere.

Before Diego had even had a chance to park he had shoved the briefcase aside and blinked out of the car, tumbling forward onto the ground and ignoring his brother’s loud cursing.

He pushed himself up to his feet, ignoring the stinging in his knees, and ran to the smoking wreckage. He couldn’t see anything beyond the smoking wooden debris, and he couldn’t even begin to know where to look.

“Allison! Luther!” he called out desperately, hearing Diego and Klaus jumping out of the car. He could hear them also calling out their siblings’ names.

“Shit, do you think they’re under this?” Klaus asked, sounding horribly shaken.

Five shook his head, not wanting to think about it. He could only hope that Luther was shielding Allison from the worst of it, but he was scared to find out.

“Five! Over here!”

He jerked his head around to see Allison and Luther running out from the forest, waving their arms up and looking wide-eyed. They were dusty and Allison was scratched up, but otherwise seemed completely unharmed.

The relief that flooded through Five made his knees tremble, and he jumped down from the wreckage just in time for Allison to slam into him in a tight hug. Her touch and the sensation of her arms around him were all he could feel, and he almost gasped from the strength of it.

“Five, I’m so glad you’re okay!” she said, out of breath from her sprint. He gripped the back of her jacket tightly, and buried his face in her neck.

The gratitude he felt at knowing that Allison and Luther were okay was immense. It meant that there was still hope for their family. It meant that they still didn’t need to use the briefcase just yet.

“You’re alive,” he said lamely, once she had detached from him. “We thought…” He gestured towards the pile of rubble.

“We’re fine,” Luther said, reaching up to squeeze his shoulder comfortingly and looking just as relieved to see them as Allison was. Five gave his brother a grateful smile. “We got out a few minutes before it exploded.”

“Well, Luther dragged me out when Vanya’s powers started going out of control,” Allison corrected.

“What the hell happened here?” Diego asked, surveying the wreckage. “Did Vanya do this? Where is she?”

Allison and Luther exchanged looks before nodding. Luther looked grim, while Allison’s eyes were shining with unshed tears.

“She left. They both did, after the explosion. It was my fault,” she said, putting a hand up to quiet Luther before he could protest. “She wouldn’t believe us about Leonard being Harold Jenkins, and about him manipulating her. She said she loved him, and that he loved her.”

Five felt his heart drop to his stomach. It was what he had feared, and it made everything so much more difficult.

She continued, grief and guilt painting her voice.

“What you said to me, Five, about Vanya having powers…it all made sense to me, because I remembered something that Dad had made me do long ago, when were were four.” She took a shaky breath at the memory, and the tears finally fell. “He made me rumor Vanya into thinking she was just ordinary, so that she would forget she ever had any powers.”

Behind them, only the crackling of the burning debris could be heard.

“Holy shit,” Klaus said, sounding breathless. “And you…told Vanya.”

She nodded miserably. “I’m sorry. I know it was terrible timing, I know I shouldn’t have…but I just wanted…no, I _needed_ to be honest with her.”

It was like another puzzle piece slotting into place. Another piece of evidence of how Reginald had controlled his children, how he had not only subdued Vanya but encouraged Allison to apply her powers for personal gain.

Five could only imagine how well that went down.

It was another obstacle, another barrier between themselves and Vanya, but it was still salvageable.

Five wanted to be mad at Allison, wanted to hate the fact that she had chosen now of all times to remember and to tell Vanya considering the circumstances, but he just couldn’t. He knew what it felt to struggle with that desperate need to right the wrongs of the past, regardless of the consequences.

A lack of honesty was what had caused all of this in the first place, and continuing to hold onto that lie might not have exploded in their faces now, but it would have reared its ugly head at some point in the future.

“I understand,” he said after some thought, reaching out to hold her hand as a comforting gesture. She gave him a pained smile, and squeezed his hand back. “We should go back. There’s still time.”

Allison looked hopeful. “There’s still time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist the 'Gerald Jenkins' gag, it's one of the funniest moments of Season 1 for me :D 
> 
> As for Allison picking now to confess to her rumor even with what Five's told her about Vanya, I picture her as wanting to get that guilt off her chest, and hoping that in the act of confessing they can "move on". In the show she said something similar during the cabin scene, which really highlighted to me how naive Allison was to Vanya's struggles with being excluded from the family. Fortunately in this timeline, Luther managed to step in before she got her throat damaged like in the show. 
> 
> The next two chapters are jam-packed with action, I'm honestly struggling to get it all down! I hope you enjoyed reading, your thoughts are appreciated as always <3


	14. The price of a murder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas all! This chapter is a bit later than usual, but I wanted to drop it as a Christmas gift. I will admit that these last two chapters have been insanely difficult to write, so I've been moving at a snail pace recently. I've also been working on a Five-centric bang event fic which will be dropped in the next few days as well. 
> 
> Trigger warning below will contain spoilers. It's a dark chapter. 
> 
> TW: murder, graphic descriptions of violence, descriptions of corpses, strangulation, homicide staged as suicide, mentions of suicide, head injury, vomiting

Allison’s car wouldn’t start. According to her, it wasn’t in the place where she had originally parked it, which meant that Vanya’s shockwave had likely thrown it from its original spot and now it wouldn’t start.

They had to climb into Diego’s car, with Luther taking up most of the back seat while Klaus squeezed in beside him looking slightly squashed.

To Five’s complete humiliation, he was stuck sitting on Allison’s lap for the journey back since it was the only space available. Although this would normally have been enough cause to initiate ruthless teasing, none of them seemed to be in the mood for it.

Once they left behind the decimated cabin, Luther broke the tense silence.

“So what the hell do we do now?” he asked.

All eyes turned to Five, who had been busy staring at the road ahead. He glanced around, taking stock of their expectant faces and sighed.

“We need to find Vanya,” he said. “We need to get her away from Jenkins, and then take care of him. Permanently.”

Allison nodded grimly. Five had explained to both her and Luther what needed to be done, and why. He had shown them the note from Hazel on his reassignment. Just like with Diego and Klaus, the two of them had had very little problem accepting what Five had proposed as the _only_ acceptable outcome.

A dead Harold Jenkins.

“We’ll come with you,” Luther said.

Five shook his head apologetically. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Vanya’s probably still struggling to deal with what Allison told her, and seeing either of you so soon after her…after the cabin might trigger her into a rage.”

“I agree with Five,” Allison said, reaching a hand up to quiet Luther when he opened his mouth to protest. “As much as I hate to admit it, we’re probably the _last_ people she wants to see right now. If Five is right about her causing the Apocalypse, then I don’t think reminding her of why she was so angry in the first place is a good idea.”

“Fine, okay, but just…check in with us when you can,” Luther acquiesced, somewhat reluctantly. “And call us if you think you can’t handle it. That Jenkins guy is scrawny, but Vanya…”

The words hung in the air for several seconds, until finally Klaus groaned from where he was sitting. He let his head flop against Luther’s arm sleepily.

“Alright…let’s do this. Let’s kill Harold Jenkins. Team Hargreeves go _woohoo,_ _”_ he said, doing a lethargic jazz hands gesture.

Diego rolled his eyes. “Not you, Klaus. You’re drinking some water, getting a hot meal and going to bed.”

Klaus was clearly still weak from withdrawal, having begun to fall asleep the moment they had gotten into the car. It was a stark reminder to Five that his brothers had only just returned from near starvation in the Apocalypse the day before.

“I want to argue but I’m pretty sure I’ll just fall asleep halfway through.” Klaus yawned widely, closing his eyes. “Still can’t believe little Vanya’s the one who’s going to kill us all.”

Five jerked his head sharply, but he didn’t say a word.

An uneasy silence fell upon them once again, and nobody spoke until they reached the Academy.

Luther carried Klaus out, as he had passed out from exhaustion, while Allison hovered near the passenger seat. She bent down so that she could see them better, and rested her fingers against the windowsill.

“I’m sorry again, about the cabin. I should have…it would have been better if I kept my mouth shut..” She inhaled shakily, biting her lip and staring out to the Academy doors where Luther was waiting for her. “I thought if I was honest with her, it would make up for everything that’s happened between us. As if just telling the truth would be enough for her to forgive me, like it wasn’t just an effort to relieve _myself_ of the guilty and responsibility. It was… _so_ selfish of me to think that she would just forgive me like that.”

She fell silent, eyes shining with unshed tears.

Five didn’t say anything, because he knew that the last thing Allison wanted was to be comforted and told that none of it was her fault.

She took a few seconds to compose herself, before leaning down once again.

“You’ll let us know if anything happens, right?” she said. Her eyes flickered over to Diego, both of them communicating through some sort of unspoken message that made Five feel like a child being babysat. Normally he would bristle at being treated this way, but it was Allison and he couldn’t be angry at her right now. Not when he’d thought he’d never see her again. “Maybe Luther and I should come with you, as backup.”

“We’re about to go and murder a man,” Five said, grimacing. “The less of us involved in the act, the easier it will be to keep a low profile.”

“Not to mention Luther sticks out like a sore thumb, and anyone who’s ever watched TV would recognize you from a mile away,” Diego quipped.

“Right, good point.” Allison sighed. “Be careful. _Both of you._ _”_

Then she left, glancing back at them hesitantly before heading into the Academy and out of sight.

Diego started up the car and they began to driven back to Jenkins’ house. Once again Five could see his brother tapping his fingers nervously against the steering wheel despite his expression being deceptively neutral.

Once the Academy was out of sight, Five picked up the briefcase from where it sat between his legs and set it on his lap.

“What are your plans with that?” Diego asked, glancing over at him. “You think you might need it?”

Five stilled, his eyes flickering over to it momentarily before moving back to Diego. He shrugged noncommittally.

He didn’t want to think about if he might have to use it.

“Hopefully not. It’s a last resort, in case…”

 _In case one of you dies_.

He swallowed back the words, but he knew that Diego had caught his intentions. Almost admitting that out loud was enough to speed up his heart rate, and he could feel the blood pumping through his veins in a burst of adrenaline.

But the other side of him, the side of him that had always been more logical and realistic, knew that it was a possibility.

It had only now begun to occur to him that they might not be able to reach April 2nd with the whole family intact.

“Jenkins may be the trigger, but this…all of this, started years ago. Before she met Jenkins, before Ben died, even before I left. All of this started with Dad’s treatment of her. Keeping her medicated, getting Allison to rumor her, encouraging us to isolate her and make her feel like nothing special.”

Diego sighed, staring ahead of him with a guilty look on his face. “Yeah, no kidding Dad started all this. I probably just made it worse, being a dick to her all those years.”

“Probably, but we all played out part, judging by what Allison’s told us.”

Five bit his lip. He suddenly, with great vividness, recalled the day he had stormed out of the Academy.

He had been so cocky, so smug, so unaware of the lifelong repercussions that this one little choice would have on his life and the life of his siblings.

Reginald had created the bomb, but Five has lit the fuse.

“If it looks like we’re going to fail, then I guess…I’ve considered that the rest of us can go back in time to when I left. Create a new timeline, one where I come back.”

“Is that an option?”

“Yes, but not a good one. The rest of you would need to restart your lives, Allison’s daughter would be wiped from existence, and we don’t know the repercussions of two versions of ourselves being together.” He paused, narrowing his eyes. “I would only consider it if we have no other choice.”

“It wouldn’t be so bad thought, would it? To go back and be with us as kids again. Wasn’t that what you wanted all along?”

Five thought for a moment. That had been what he had wanted, once upon a time.

It felt like a million years ago now.

“It was, but I don’t want it anymore,” he said, surprised by his own admission. From the look on his face, Diego was also shocked to hear it. “I’ve made my peace with it now. I left you all those years ago, and as much as it pains me to say it, all of you moved on and built your own lives. I’d rather…I’d rather live my life with the siblings I have right now, even if I never intended to land here.”

When his gaze met Diego’s, he found his brother staring at him with an emotion he couldn’t quite place. Before he could ask what was on his mind, the man turned back to the road.

There were several minutes where neither of them spoke, both of them too caught up in their own thoughts.

Five watched as the city passed around him, and despite how busy and lively it looked right now, he could only see the skeletal ruins that he had once explored in the Apocalypse.

“For what it’s worth, I’m glad you stayed with us, even if that’s selfish of me.”

He turned in surprise to find Diego shifting in discomfort, unable to meet his eyes.

“Losing you the first time was hard, but losing you now would be…harder” he trailed off, clearing his throat.

Five couldn’t help but feel comforted by his brother’s sincerity.

When he had landed back in this timeline, he had been faced with a seventeen year gap which had felt impossible to bridge. The very idea of it, and of the rejection of his siblings, had fueled his deepest desire to return back to the siblings he had left.

Now, that desire had faded, now that he felt there might be the chance to rebuild that closeness. In truth, he already felt closer to them than when he had left.

The only one missing was Vanya now, and then their family would be complete.

“Thanks, I’m glad I stayed too,” he said, with equal sincerity.

Diego nodded, looking pleased, before turning serious. “Heads up, we’re here.”

They parked the car a few streets down from the house. They hadn’t wanted to take the risk of parking too close, in case any neighbors saw them and took note of the strange car in the same night that Jenkins would ‘disappear’.

Instead Five teleported them into a random car opposite the house so they could settle in to observe.

“Shit, they’re still together,” Diego muttered as they sat in the darkness. “What the hell do we do now?”

Through the blinds they could see both Vanya and Jenkins, sitting in the living room and talking. Although they weren’t able to see their expressions from this far away, it was clear that they weren’t arguing at least.

That put Five at ease, as the last thing he wanted to do was go charging into a heated situation.

“They’re not fighting, which means that we don’t need to run in just yet,” Five muttered, picking at the fabric on his shorts nervously. “If Vanya’s calm, it means she’s not about to light the world on fire.”

“How the hell do we get her away from him?” 

“I don’t know. I’m worried if we try to talk to her in front of him, that will give him a chance to manipulate her against us. At this point, we’re a lot less credible in her eyes than he is. On the other hand, just grabbing her and blinking her out of there will probably make her just as angry. If she catches wind that we’ve spoken to Allison and Luther, she’ll just become defensive.”

“So what…we just wait until an opportunity arises? That’s the plan?”

“Do you have anything better?” Five asked, raising his eyebrows. “Vanya is potentially a ticking time bomb about to explode and destroy the universe. We need to tread very, _very_ carefully here.”

He watched as Vanya stood up and disappeared from the room out of sight. All the while Five couldn’t stop feeling those damn butterflies in his stomach.

It was a nervousness, a visceral gut feeling was building inside of him.

He wanted to believe that killing Jenkins would solve everything, but he had come to learn that the solution was never as simple as he had hoped. It seemed like everything they touched turned to dust, and he couldn’t help but worry that this would turn out exactly the same.

He hadn’t realized he had zoned out until Diego grabbed his shoulder, making him jump in his seat in shock and knock his head painfully against the window. He twisted around, rubbing his forehead to ease the throbbing.

“Jesus-don’t do that! You scared the crap out of me,” he hissed, more surprised than angry.

“Sorry, sorry,” Diego said, although he was too busy staring out the window to seem contrite. “Didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just…Vanya’s leaving.”

“ _What?_ ” He whirled around, wide-eyed, and found that Diego was telling the truth.

He could see Harold in the doorway, holding Vanya’s hand as she was stepping out of the door. He seemed to be trying to convince her to stay, but as they watched she was shaking her head and pulling her hand away. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, waved goodbye, and began walking down the street. They watched as she turned the corner out of sight and Jenkins finally closed the door.

“Holy shit…” he whispered, hope rising inside of him. He hadn’t thought an opportunity like this would be presented to them, but it was better than he could have hoped.

“So which one first?” Diego asked, looking to him for guidance. “Talk to Vanya, or kill Jenkins?”

“Kill Jenkins,” Five said without hesitation. He watched as Jenkins closed the blackout curtains, obscuring their view of the living room entirely. “He’s the trigger, he’s the one the Commission is after. We can’t risk him alive.”

He felt something smack against his arm and when he glanced over, Diego was holding out two pairs of gloves.

“My oldest pair, from when I was seventeen,” he said. “We probably shouldn’t leave any fingerprints.”

Five took them. “Good idea.” He slid the gloves on, and although they were still quite loose, they would do the job. “Don’t use your knives.”

“What?” Diego asked, looking perplexed. “Why not?”

“Just trust me. A chokehold will do it, nothing more, nothing less. You ready?”

He put his hand out, and Diego gripped it firmly.

“I’m ready.”

Five blinked them inside, and suddenly they were standing in the living room they’d been surveying for the past few hours.

The last time he had stood here was five months ago when he’d been sneaking around looking for clues behind Jenkins’ motives. It was almost funny to think that at the time, he had thought he was being side tracked from his mission to stop the Apocalypse.

If only he had known then, he could have bashed Jenkins’ head in and saved them all the worry.

Diego groaned and bent over, clutching at his stomach and turning pale. “Fuck, I’ll never get used to that.”

“You just need some practice,” Five said lightly, letting go of his hand and straightening his tie. Nothing had changed since he’d last been here, with the exception that Vanya’s violin case was resting on the coffee table.

He heard movement behind him, and the two of them turned to see Harold Jenkins standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He was holding a mug, and the expression on his face was one of complete shock.

“W-what the hell are you doing here?” Jenkins asked, stuttering over his words.

Five felt the world stop turning momentarily.

Jenkins’ face was bruised and tired looking, but what truly stood out to Five was the stark white gauze covering one of his eyes. It hadn’t been there before, and seeing it was like another puzzle piece slotting into place.

It all made so much sense.

He barked out a laugh of disbelief, unconcerned when both men turned to stare at him in confusion.

“Hello, _Harold_ ,” he said, unable to contain the vitriol in his voice. “You seem to have misplaced your eye since the last time I saw you.”

It took a second for the words to settle, however he could see when it clicked for Diego. His brother straightened, eyes widening in realization as he took in Jenkins’ appearance.

“Son of a _bitch_ ,” he snarled. “So _you_ _’re_ the asshole owner of that glass eye. That explains so _fucking_ much.” He cracked his knuckles menacingly, stepping forward.

Harold began to back away, raising his hands up slowly as he did so.

“L-look guys, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said, giving them a shaky smile. “Why don’t we just-”

Five blinked behind him, listing up his foot and kicking him in the back. Jenkins stumbled forward, arms flailing to catch himself as he did so. Diego caught him by the shoulders, twisting his body around with ease and wrapping his arm around the man’s neck in a tight chokehold.

“Shut up, _Harold Jenkin_ s,” Five said breathlessly, watching the man struggle in Diego’s grasp. It felt like his own throat was closing up, like the breath was being punched out of him. “ _Just shut the hell up_.”

Diego squeezed until his muscles were bulging with effort while Jenkins scratched at his arm desperately, gasping and choking, his face slowly turning purple from the lack of oxygen.

Five stared, nausea rolling around in his stomach.

It was different to the violence they had committed on missions, to the quick and sudden blows that he had dealt during his run ins with the Commission agents. This was slow and painful and deeply personal.

It somehow, inexplicably, felt like the most violent death of all of them.

“ _Five_ ,” Diego grunted through gritted teeth. A vein was throbbing in his neck. “Close your eyes. Don’t watch.”

Five’s eyes flickered towards Diego’s, and then back again.

“Five, _do as I say_.”

He closed his eyes, cutting out the sight of a purple-faced Harold Jenkins flailing and jerking around. He could only hear panicked choking gasps and the sound of Diego’s heavy breathing, somehow even louder now.

His fingers twitched nervously at his sides, and he tried to focus instead of his own breathing. It seemed to last an eternity until finally, _finally_ there was nothing but silence.

He kept his eyes shut.

He heard something heavy dropping to the ground, then footsteps. He opened his eyes just as Diego reached up to clasp his shoulders and give him a once over.

“You okay?”

It took him a few seconds to register that his brother had spoken, so focused was he on the sound of his own racing heartbeat. He pulled away, reaching up to rub the back of his neck and grimacing when he felt sweat dripping down his skin.

“Yeah,” he said, voice shaking slightly. “Sorry, I don’t know why, but that was just…” He trailed off, unable to really put it into words.

His eyes slid over to the floor behind Diego. He could only see Jenkins’ hand flopped onto the ground from where he was standing, but the sight of it sent a strange numbness flowing through him.

The man that he had been chasing for so long, the faceless figures with the single glass eyes, was finally dead. Five didn’t feel any better for it.

Diego nodded in understanding. “I know what you mean.”

There was nothing more to say about that subject.

“We need to stage it. Make it…not look like a homicide,” Five said, glancing around the room. “Jenkins had no family or friends aside from Vanya who he’s barely known for two weeks, and was clearly mentally deranged based on the shrine in his attic. I think if we stage it properly, then the police will take it for what it looks like and they won’t dig any further.”

“That’s…why you didn’t want me to use my knives,” Diego said slowly, realization dawning. “That’s a good idea.”

Five nodded. “It’ll be faster if we do it together.”

He stepped around Diego to look at Jenkins’ body in full, and stared at it impassively. He felt nothing when he looked down at the man, not even a sense of victory.

“I’ve checked his pulse,” Diego said. “He’s dead.”

“Did he manage to scratch you? Get any of your skin under his nails?”

“Good thinking.” Diego pulled up his sleeves, checking his arms carefully, and shook his head. “Nothing, although he might have caught onto my sleeve so I’ll check anyway. See if you can find some rope or something.”

He crouched down, pulling out a knife and digging under the Jenkins’ fingernails until he was fully satisfied. It was a gruesome thing to behold, and Five had to forcefully tear himself away from the sight of it.

He headed into the garage which seemed to serve as storage area, searching through the various storage boxes and drawers until he found a solid rope which looked like it would serve its purpose.

He blinked back into the living room, holding it loosely by his side. Diego was sliding the knife back into his belt, and nodded his approval at the rope in Five’s hand.

“Right, so where should we-”

The front door opened. They both turned in unison as Vanya walked in looking frazzled, her face red as she huffed and puffed, as if she’d been running for a while. She shut the door behind her. 

“Hey, sorry about that. I just needed a walk to clear my head, after what-”

Their eyes met, and for a moment they were all as still as statues.

Vanya frowned, bewildered. “Five? What are you-”

Her eyes drifted down to where Diego was crouched next to Harold’s body, his purpled face in full view.

She made a strangled sound, one of confusion and shock, and ran forward to kneel next to the body, grabbing the shoulders.

“Leonard? _Leonard?_ ” she demanded, shaking him roughly with trembling fingers. “What-oh god, oh _god!_ Is he-” Her voice broke on the last word and she pressed her fingers against his neck, feeling for a pulse. After a few seconds where only her quickening breath could be heard, she cried out softly and whirled around, staring between them.

Five was frozen to the spot, unable to move.

Next to her, Diego slowly stood up and stepped back, his jaw slack with shock and something akin to terror.

“He’s-he-I can’t feel a pulse!” she said, her fingers fluttering around his lips. “He’s not breathing! Oh my god, _oh my god_ -I need-we need to call an ambulance-”

She turned around frantically, nearly tripping over her own feet as she ran towards the landline.

Five reacted without thinking, blinking towards it and ripping out the handset in one quick movement. He couldn’t let Vanya call an ambulance, not when it meant bringing the police down to the scene of a murder he and Diego had just committed.

It was the stupidest choice he could have made in this situation, and in the back of his mind he regretted it immediately.

“ _Five!_ ” Vanya nearly screamed, her voice rising in her panic. “ _What are you doing?_ What are you-”

“I’m sorry, Vanya,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He didn’t think he could speak any louder even if he tried. “I can’t let you call the police. I’m so sorry.”

He felt sick as he watched her face twist into one of confusion and grief and questioning, and her glassy eyes traveled down to the rope he was holding in his other hand. She turned back to Jenkins’ body, and then to Diego, before going back to Five. A trembling hand rose to cover her mouth as the realization seemed to dawn upon her.

She stepped back, the horror on her face an expression that Five had never seen before on anyone.

It was gut wrenching, nausea inducing. He thought he was going to be sick.

“Oh my god,” she said, tears running down her cheeks. “Oh my god, you did this. You-you _killed him_. Why? _Why would you-_ _”_ She gasped, choking on a sob that burst from her lips and cut off whatever she’d been about to say.

“Vanya, I’m sorry,” he said, dropping the rope and raising his hands slowly so she could see. “We had to do it, he was using you to-”

“Shut up, _shut up!_ ” she choked, her eyes flashing a bright white. He froze, eyes darting around as the furniture began to shake and shudder even harder. “You killed him-oh _god_ , you- _how could you! How could you do this to me?_ “

Items on the counters, on the walls began to rattle, and a breeze began to whirl around the room.

He saw Diego tensing behind her from the corner of his eye, but he could only focus on Vanya. His sister, who was weeping and trembling in fury as she stared at him.

“Vanya, please, _listen to me-_ _”_

 _“Shut up!”_ she screamed, clenching her fists and bringing them up to her head as if in pain. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she shrieked, the tears cutting a trail down her skin. “Just shut up and get out!”

“Please, Vanya, just let me explain-”

She shook her head violently. _“I don’t want to hear it! Get out! Get out!”_

“Vanya-”

“ _Get out!_ _”_

All Five saw was a burst of white, like an explosion of pure white light, before a shockwave knocked the breath out of him so hard he thought he had passed out. He was flung back without warning, too fast to even react, and felt his body slamming into the counter behind him. 

His head smacked against something hard and he saw stars momentarily before landing on the ground, amongst other broken items.

Vision swimming, he could see the blurry figure of his sister standing although it was hard to focus through the world tilting sideways in a way which made him want to vomit.

He reached up to touch he back of his head, which felt wet, and when his fingers came away they felt wet too. They were also red and sticky, and he knew that that was a bad thing but he couldn’t quite process what it meant.

“Sh’t,” he mumbled stupidly.

He managed to blink his eyes back into focus, and was able to see Diego stumbling towards him looking scared. He slid his arms under Five’s knees and shoulders and lifted him up gently, ignoring the broken bits of glass falling onto the floor. Five let his head flop onto his brother’s shoulder, where he could hear his racing heartbeat.

Diego strode back towards the front door, not even hesitating when he passed by Vanya who hadn’t moved a muscle.

Five’s eyes locked with his sister’s for a moment, and he was met with a torrent of grief and shock and confusion, before they were past her and out the door.

He could feel Diego running, and every movement was jolting through his head like a drill. He wanted to protest and beg Diego to slow down, but he knew that if he opened his mouth he would puke.

Instead he just stared behind them, watching as Harold Jenkins’ house grew smaller and smaller until it faded into the darkness of the night.

* * *

Diego was ashamed to say that in his panic he completely forgot where he had parked the car.

Five had been silent, simply staring off into the distance without a single noise of complaint as they ran, forehead resting against Diego’s neck where he could feel the shallow breaths against his skin. When he finally located his parking spot Diego felt like a frayed rope, ready to snap.

There was definitely blood running down the back of Five’s neck, however even more worrying was the stain of blood on his white shirt that was steadily growing in his side as well.

He wrenched the car door and carefully placed Five in the passenger’s seat. He lifted Five’s shirt to check for injuries, and saw a small piece of glass embedded in his side. It wasn’t big enough to be anywhere near fatal, but it was still stomach churning to look at, and Diego resisted the urge to pull out the glass immediately.

Instead he buckled Five in before running to the other side and starting the car, keeping his headlights off as he began to drive them back from the Academy.

They had parked on a road with a broken streetlight for a reason, and the last thing he needed was for some nosy asshole to be able to see the license plate number of a strange car driving off into the distance, minutes away from where a man had just been murdered.

Once they were a sensible distance away from Leonard’s house, he finally switched the headlights on and began to speed up, uncaring now of if they caught anyone’s attention at this point.

“Five, how you doing?” he asked, glancing over to check on his brother who was staring blankly out the window. He received no answer. “Five. _Five_ , talk to me. Please say something. Are you feeling okay?”

Five squeezed his eyes shut, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose before turning to Diego. His eyes were half-lidded and he looked ready to pass out.

“I’m _fine_ ,” he said, jaw clenched. His face paled suddenly. “Wait…no I’m not, I’m going to be sick.”

He leaned forward, clutching at his stomach and gagging painfully, although nothing came out. He groaned and clutched at the injured side which was without a doubt causing him pain.

Diego rubbed circles into his back, feeling his brother’s shoulders shaking slightly underneath him.

“If you need to be sick, just do it. I’ll clean up afterwards,” he said, although Five shook his head wordlessly. After several tense seconds where Five was clearly struggling to contain his nausea, he finally straightened up gingerly.

“It’s okay, I…think I’m fine,” he muttered. “We need to go back. We need to…talk to her. She shouldn’t…she shouldn’t be alone right now.”

Diego shook his head, eyes fixated on the road.

He couldn’t bear the thought of going back, of seeing Vanya again. Her face when she had seen Jenkins’ body, and Diego crouched next to him. The grief in her voice, the hurt in her eyes. 

“What we need is to head back to the Academy. You definitely have a concussion, at the very minimum. W-w-w-we can…figure Vanya out later.” As always when he stuttered, he clenched his jaw shut reflexively and swallowed in anger.

Five groaned, letting his head fall back against the seat and jolting with a hiss. He rubbed at the back of his head and Diego could see even more blood coating his fingers.

God it had scared him, the sight of Five sitting limply against the counter with his bloodied hand.

“We fucked up, didn’t we?” Five asked after several minutes of silence, voice trembling. He was running his hands through his hair and pulling on it. It looked like it hurt. “She left her violin at his, I saw it but it didn’t even register. I let myself get careless because we were _so close_ to killing Harold. I should have realized she would have never left it there if she wasn’t intending to come back…”

Diego sighed. “Look don’t beat yourself up over it, okay? Yeah we fucked up with Vanya, but I’m sure once we tell her the truth about Jenkins, she’ll understand. She’s…she’s a good person, she’ll listen to us.”

The words were empty, a promise that he couldn’t keep, but he hated seeing his brother so down.

Five barely seemed to have heard him.

“I just wanted to protect all of you,” Five muttered. His eyes became glassy, and he buried his face into the crook of his elbow where it was leaning against the car door, so that his next words were muffled. “I should have listened to Dad all those years ago. None of this would have happened if I’d never left.”

There was nothing that Diego could say to that, and they spent the rest of the ride back in silence.

When they arrived at the Academy, Five seemed to be struggling with a splitting headache.

Diego carefully helped him hobble back into the Academy, where they were immediately seen by a worried Luther and Allison who had been clearly staying in the living room waiting for them anxiously.

“What happened?” Luther demanded, reaching down to carefully pick up the swaying Five, who groaned in protest at the movement. “Did that Leonard guy do this?”

“Not quite,” Five said, eyes still squeezed shut. “And I would appreciate if we could talk about this in the infirmary, _after_ I’ve taken enough painkillers to knock out a horse.”

They picked Grace up on the way to infirmary as she was sat in front of her favorite paintings. She immediately perked up and began to fuss over Five, directing Luther to set him down onto the bed, which he did so gently.

Diego was surprised when Allison pointed out that he had numerous cuts on his own arms. He realize that they must have been from where he’d shielded himself from the items which had launched themselves towards him from the force of Vanya’s shockwave.

He had been too focused on the terror of seeing Five getting flung across the room to even notice.

While Grace was gently cleaning the wound on Five’s head and had given him some painkillers to alleviate the pain, Diego sat down and rolled his tattered sleeves up so that he could start dabbing the cuts.

“Wait, you’re bleeding. Are you okay?” Five asked, struggling to sit up as he tried to get a better look at the injuries.

“Just scratches, focus on yourself for now,” Diego said, while Grace shushed Five and gently pushed him back into a lying down position. He did so without protest, a tribute to how hard the hit to his head must have been.

The glazed over look in Five’s eyes was disconcerting, and Diego had to fight to tear his gaze away to where Allison and Luther were waiting expectantly.

“Diego, what the hell happened? Did you…is Leonard alive?” Allison asked, clearly unable to hold in her questioning any longer.

“No, he’s dead.”

“Oh. Okay, good. So you guys killed him.” She narrowed her eyes. “Who did this to you then?”

Diego simply stared at her, and after a few seconds a knowing look crossed Allison’s face. After all, she had been the victim of her own fuck up only a few hours ago.

“Vanya,” she said, sounding defeated.

“Yeah. Vanya.”

Luther looked between them, face painted with disbelief. “Wait, Vanya did this? She attacked you guys? She attacked _Five?_ ”

His shock wasn’t unwarranted. Vanya had always treasured her relationship with Five the most, and despite everything that had happened to him in the past few months, Five was still just a kid. It was difficult to fathom her lashing out against him in any circumstance.

At least, that was before tonight, before she had walked in on the two of them casually and callously handling her dead boyfriend’s corpse.

Diego felt the sting of bitterness in his gut as he thought about what had led them to this point.

As Five had said, the Apocalypse, Vanya’s anger, and even what had happened tonight; that wasn’t just on Vanya. That blame rested upon all of their shoulders, including their father’s.

He flicked out the last piece of glass onto the table and began to clean the wounds on his arms, relishing the burning feeling that accompanied it.

“She kind of…walked in on the aftermath with Jenkins,” he admitted, and both Luther and Allison’s faces fell simultaneously. 

“Oh, Jesus.”

“Yeah. We were trying to stage it like a suicide, and she saw Five holding the rope. Guess she put two and two together and lost it at us.”

“Oh god, I can’t imagine.” Allison put a hand up to her mouth in horror. “She must have…she must be, well honestly I can’t even think of how she’s feeling right now.”

“Well, she nearly brought the house down and sent Five flying into the kitchen counter like a goddamn rag doll, so I would say she’s pretty goddamn furious.” He stopped, voice breaking for a second.

They glanced over to where Five was sitting, and to their surprise, he seemed to have drifted off to sleep. The dark circles under his eyes were an indication of how exhausted he was, and Diego felt a surge of protectiveness looking at his tired yet still drawn expression.

“Is he okay?” Luther asked, directing the question at Grace who had begun clearing away the equipment from the table.

“Your brother is fine, he has a mild concussion and some bruised ribs. He just needs some rest and some quiet,” Grace said, firmly shooing them out of the room. “And so do all of you by the looks of it. I’ll monitor him overnight, the rest of you head to bed.”

Diego was reluctant to leave Five alone, however Grace gave him a look and he kept his mouth shut. The door was closed behind them, and they were left standing outside in the hallway awkwardly.

“Does anyone else think Mom’s become a lot more assertive since Pogo fixed her?” Allison asked, stifling a yawn. “Not that I’m complaining.”

It was only now that Diego realized that it was the _very_ early hours of the morning, and he was swaying on his feet from exhaustion. This day had been a lot more eventful than he had expected, and that was saying something considering he had started out the morning with the intention of murdering a man.

“So…if this Harold guys is dead, does that mean we’ve stopped the Apocalypse?” Luther asked, looking hopeful. “If he’s dead, then he can’t trigger Vanya into causing the Apocalypse, right?”

“I guess not,” Diego said, but even to his own ears he sounded unsure.

They had completed their mission, albeit messily and potentially at the cost of their relationship with their sister and her mental stability, but somehow he didn’t feel any more accomplished than he had before.

There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that told him that it wasn’t over, not yet.

“Well that’s one problem sorted at least. But what about Vanya?” Allison asked. “We need to find her. She…she must be so confused and betrayed right now.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Diego, you- _we_ killed her _boyfriend_ ,” she hissed. “God, the absolute _shit_ that this family has thrown on her today. I can’t-I can’t even imagine how she must be feeling right now.”

“I know, I know, but you think that running down there and not even giving her a _second_ to breathe is the best idea?” Diego retorted. “Do you think she wants to see any of us right now? I sure as hell wouldn’t if I were her. I wouldn’t be surprised if she never wants to speak to any of us again.”

“She’s our _sister._ _”_

“Yeah, she is. And she needs space from us right now.”

His tone was final, and after a moment’s hesitation Allison backed down.

“Okay…okay, you’re right. She needs time to grieve, and-and to process,” she admitted. She glanced over at Luther, who had been following their conversation intently.

“Let’s regroup tomorrow morning?” Luther suggested.

They all nodded and parted ways, with Luther and Alison heading to their own rooms while Diego stood in front of the infirmary door for a few moments longer. He itched to go in and check on Five, hand hovering above the doorknob.

After a few moments he thought better of it and headed back to his own room. Five needed the rest, and so did he.

* * *

It took him several hours for Diego to fall asleep, and when he did his dreams were vivid and harrowing. He relived the previous night over and over again, only the shockwave from Vanya’s anger was bigger, brighter, more frightening, and it engulfed _everything_.

He saw himself standing in the Apocalypse, the broken bodies of his siblings laying around him lifelessly while that bright white explosion burst from Vanya again and again and _again._ Sometimes he was alive and trying to fight against her, other times he too was simply a corpse on the ground watching as the shockwave engulfed everything around him.

He was awoken from his restless sleep by someone shaking him roughly, and when he opened his eyes he jerked backwards away from Allison’s face so close to his.

The remnants of the dream were wiped away immediately, although he could feel the stickiness from his clothes from where he had been sweating all night.

“Jesus! Allison, what the hell are you-”

“It’s Vanya,” Allison interrupted, and whatever he had been about to say died in his throat. She looked scared. “Mom told me she called the Academy a little while ago. She’s coming here. She…she said she wants to talk to you and Five.”

Diego practically launched out of bed, nearly headbutting Allison as she moved back just in time and he strode out of the room, grabbing his top and pulling it on haphazardly.

“Shit,” he hissed. “Shit, shit, where is Five?”

Allison followed after him, looking just as frazzled.

“Still asleep. Mom said he’s been in and out of it all day, which is apparently normal for someone who’s been concussed. Should I get him?”

“No,” Diego said instinctively, protectively. He wanted to fix things with Vanya, desperately, but not at the cost of Five’s well-being. “One more knock to the head and the kid’s gonna be brain damaged. Let him sleep.”

“What, you think she’s here to _attack_ him? Vanya would never do that.-”

“No, I don’t think that,” he said truthfully. “But she has about as much control over these powers as a newborn kitten, and I’m not willing to risk her losing control of them and flinging him around like a rag doll again.”

There was no room for argument, and Allison knew well enough to drop it.

They hurried towards the stairs, practically racing down with thundering footsteps until Diego felt a hand grab his arm hard enough to bruise. He swore, turning back to Allison to glare at her when he noticed her wide-eyed expression.

He followed her gaze, his eyes landing on Vanya, and his breath caught in his throat.

She was standing at the entrance behind the fallen chandelier, staring up at them with red and puffy eyes, hands curled into fists, twitching by her sides as if she was trying to keep them under control.

She looked like a phantom, pale and cold, expression completely unreadable.

He slowed considerably, taking the final steps carefully as if approaching a scared and cornered animal before stopping just a few feet away.

“Vanya,” he said.

He hadn’t been expecting to see her so soon, and now that she was in front of him he found himself floundering for words.

He could see both Luther and Klaus standing in the doorway to the living room, looking equally as uncertain. Klaus had a bowl of what looked like scrambled eggs in his hand, spoon half hanging out of his mouth and his eyes darting between Diego and Vanya. He seemed to be attempting a pose of casual nonchalance, however from the way the bowl was shaking he was clearly failing.

“You’re all here,” Vanya said, her eyes moving to glance over all four of them with an empty gaze. “Except for Five, where is he?”

Diego jerked his head behind him.

“Upstairs, sleeping.” He didn’t want to say anything more, didn’t want to make Vanya feel like he harbored any resentment for Five’s injuries. Because he didn’t, and he couldn’t, but there was no way of stating the facts without making it seem like he blamed her.

“So why are you all here? Let me guess, another _family_ meeting I wasn’t invited to, is that right?”

He winced at the resentment in her voice, low and dark.

“Not quite,” he said, the words sticking in his throat. “Vanya, about last night…”

Vanya flinched, but didn’t say anything.

“I’m sorry you had to-had to walk in on that. We never meant…w-w-w-we…” he struggled to find the right words, because there were no right words to give.

As usual, she had unwittingly and unwillingly stood on the outside of their family, closed off to the events of what was happening within.

He remembered what Five had said, about how this had all started all those years ago.

The whole situation was a web of lies and manipulation. How could Diego even begin to unravel all the layers of decisions and events and actions which led to this point, to Diego killing the man that Vanya had apparently loved and being justified for it?

“Never meant to what?” she repeated. “Never meant to _kill_ Leonard? Never meant to…to _murder my boyfriend_? Or do you mean that you never meant for me to find out?”

“He was _using_ you to get to us, to destroy the Umbrella Academy-“

She shook her head, barely listening to him, and laughed. It was an empty, angry sound, and Diego winced at the way it cut through the tense silence.

“Is that what Allison told you? That he was just using me?” she said bitterly. “Why? Because I’m _ordinary?_ Because I’m not special? Is that what you’re telling me, that the only person who has ever shown interest in me was only doing it because they’re obsessed with all of _you?_ ”

Allison finally broke her silence. “Vanya, that’s not what-”

“ _I_ _’m not talking to you_!” Vanya snapped viciously, throwing Allison a furious glare. There was something uncontrolled in the way she spoke, like floodgates were being opened and years of anger and pain pouring out. “Don’t you _dare_ talk to me, Allison. Don’t you dare ever talk to me again!”

Luther stepped forward, hands raised. “Hey, that’s not fair-”

“Oh it’s not fair? _It_ _’s not fair?”_ she said, her voice rising. Her eyes flashed white, hair beginning to fly around her. “Don’t you _dare tell me what isn_ _’t fair_! Being treated by this family like some sort of-some sort of outsider, like I don’t even belong, like I never belonged!”

The chandelier began to tremble, the crystal pendalogues shaking and clattering against the ground. Around them, the windows began to shake against their frames as well.

“Being told I’m nothing but ordinary my entire life, that I’m not _special,_ and finally the one person comes along who tells me I’m something more than that, who finally cares about me, _and you murdered him! You killed him!_ _”_

“Vanya, calm down-” Klaus said, eyes wide and frantic.

“ _Don_ _’t tell me to calm down_!” she screamed.

The windows all shattered at once, blowing out into millions of shard as they all jumped at the noise. He could see the items in the living room beginning to shake and levitate as the wind picked up around them and began swirling around the room. Diego latched onto the railing, feeling himself staggering to the side from the strength of it.

The walls were beginning to groan and creak, a sound which sent a spike of fear through Diego’s gut.

If Vanya brought the whole mansion down, there’s no way in hell there would be enough time to get Five from his room, and their mother from wherever the hell she could be now.

“Vanya, stop!” he yelled, his voice completely swept away by the cacophony of noise surrounding them. He could see Klaus gripping onto the doorway, Luther shielding him from the items which were now flying towards Vanya in a whirlwind. “Vanya!”

She was barely listening, her eyes glowing and her hands cupping her ears, hunched over as if in pain.

“Vanya, stop! You’re going to bring the whole mansion down on us! _”_ Allison was yelling next to him, as she shielded her face from the wind. He could see tears shining in her eyes. “ _Please don_ _’t make me do this_!”

The chandelier began to shudder violently, slowly lifting off the ground in a scream of glass and metal until the the entire thing was lifted entire off the ground.

Vanya’s whitened eyes searched out Allison, and Diego knew that he only had a second to react before it all went to shit.

Allison let out a frustrated cry and tensed against the railing.

“ _I heard a rumor-_ _”_

The scream that Vanya emitted was near inhuman, and the chandelier was launched forward from the force of the shockwave that followed.

Diego raised his hands instinctively, pulling together all of the strength that he could, and _pushed_. The massive projectile changed trajectory at the last second, only a foot away from Allison, and went crashing into wall in an explosion of sound as crystal and metal and glass shattered and went flying everywhere.

He squeezed his eyes shut, shielding himself from the flying glass shards as they cut into his skin.

When he opened his eyes, it was just in time to see Luther slamming a fist into the side of Vanya’s head, hard enough to knock her clean out. He caught her limp form before she could fall to the ground, and the various bits of furnitures and objects which had been flying about fell to the floor in a loud clatter.

The resulting silence was one of shock and disbelief.

One by one, they gingerly made their way over the where she was laying, stepping around the broken glass and items which were strewn across the entrance.

Diego was the first to reach Luther, reaching over to brush Vanya’s hair out of her face to get a good look at where he had knocked her out.

“Jesus, is she…”

“She’ll be fine,” Luther said grimly. “I didn’t hit her that hard actually, think she already wiped herself out with that chandelier move.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Klaus said, shakily threading a hand through his hair and watching as glass fell to the ground at his feet. “I thought you and Allison were goners.”

“I shouldn't have tried to rumor her again,” Allison said mournfully. "It just pushed her over the edge."

“I don’t blame you, she was going to bring the place down.”

They all stared down at Vanya, unconscious and limp in Luther’s arms. She looked so peaceful now in comparison to how she had look only moments ago.

“So what the hell do we do now?”

After what felt like an eternity of no one speaking, Luther cleared his throat.

“I uh…have an idea, but I don’t think you’re going to like it.”

* * *

The first thing Five saw when he awoke was Klaus sitting in the corner of his room, casually reading a magazine. Dolores was propped on the desk next to him with her ever dazzling smile, and as Five watched Klaus shoved a magazine page in her face.

“Well, Dolores, based on your answers it seems like you will be a _Party Girl_ bride,” he said, looking impressed. “You know, I myself am somewhat of a party-“

He stopped as his eyes landed on Five, who was staring sleepily at the two of them, and his expression brightened. He closed the magazine, tossing it onto the desk.

“ _Heeey Sleeping Beauty_ , how are you feeling?” he asked in a dramatic whisper. There was a movement in Five’s periphery, and he suddenly noticed that Diego was also in the room, slouched on another armchair and perking up as he glanced over to Five. “You’ve been pretty out of it for the past day. Mom says you’re just sleeping off your concussion.”

Five frowned. “Concussion? Wh-oh, right.”

The events of the previous day came back to him in one almost dizzying swoop.

Jenkins. Vanya. Her powers. All of it was a whole mess of crap that they now had to deal with, along with a splitting headache and various pains and bruises across his body. He felt like an old man, creaking around with his joints protesting at any movement.

The bed sagged and he looked up to see Diego reaching out to brush away his hair and get a better look at what was probably a sizable bump on the back of his head.

He pushed his hand away impatiently and sat up, ignoring the way it sent pain spiking through his brain.

“I’m fine, it’s fine,” he said. “How long have I been asleep?”

“It’s late afternoon, so a while.”

“Shit, has anyone heard from Vanya?”

Diego and Klaus exchanged glances, and the mood immediately plummeted. Five couldn’t help the churning in his gut as every worst case scenario played out in his mind.

“Yeah, we did,” Diego finally admitted, clearly choosing his words carefully. “She came here looking for us. Specifically for you and me.”

Five’s stomach swooped and he curled his fingers around his blanket nervously. They were speaking in the past tense, which meant that Vanya had already visited, and something had already happened which he hadn’t been a part of, and that made him nervous.

“To talk about Jenkins. You should have-why didn’t you wake me up?”

“I wasn’t risking it, not after what happened last time,” Diego said, voice steely. “You can yell at me all you want later for it, I know you will, but you’re injured and the _last_ thing you need is another hit to the head right now.”

Five scowled, protectiveness surging through him at the implication in Diego’s words. “Vanya wouldn’t _do_ that. How can you blame her after what she saw us doing-”

“I _don_ _’t_ blame her, but she’s off her meds dealing with a shit ton of grief and anger, so I figured it would be best to keep you out of the line of fire in case she did blow up.”

“Which she did,” Klaus said casually. “So that was probably a good idea in retrospect.”

Five turned to him with wide eyes. “Wait, what? What happened? She-is she okay?”

“In a manner of speaking. Blew out all the windows, tossed a chandelier at Allison like it was nothing and nearly brought the whole place down until Luther knocked her out.” Klaus’ voice was as breezy as usual, however the stiffness of his shoulder betrayed just how shaken he had been by the whole experience.

Diego sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“We put her in the basement after that,” he said. “Apparently Dad had a soundproof room for her before he started her on her meds, so we figured we could keep her there until you woke up and we could have a family meeting to figure out what the hell to do now.”

“You _what_?” Five barked, making the other two jump. He ripped the blanket off and swung his legs down to the floor. He had heard enough.

“Yeah, Allison was outnumbered three to one, and frankly Vanya wouldn’t listen to us about Jenkins so we didn’t want to risk-”

Diego made a noise of frustration, grabbing at Five’s arm as he pushed himself off the bed.

“Five, what are you doing, you’re going to rip your stitches!”

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter anymore. You need to take me to her, _now_ ,” he said, forcing himself to stand. The speed at which he did so was enough to make his head swim and his stomach feel queasy, but he didn’t have time to worry about that now. “I need to talk to her, to explain what happened. She’ll listen to me, I know she will.”

He wanted to shove Diego’s hand off his arm in a childish display of rebellion, but figured that he would be better off having the support since he was wobbling on his legs like a newborn foal.

“Christ, you stubborn little-Klaus! Help me out here!”

“Hey, I’m with Diego on this, maybe just slow down-”

A crash reverberated through the Academy, loud and clanging and jarring enough to make all of them stop in their tracks. The walls began to shake only seconds later, the way it would in an earthquake.

Simultaneously they all glanced at each other with fearful eyes before turning towards the door, knowing exactly what had caused it without even questioning.

Vanya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to know how the first Apocalypse went down without Five. In the initial Apocalypse Luther seems to have ripped Leonard's eye out right before his death, so I imagine that the first one is triggered by them attacking Leonard somehow. 
> 
> I found it very hard to write a trigger that would "justify" having Vanya explode and wipe out humanity, and I think that being locked in the room needed to play a part in tipping her over the edge. I really hated how it went down in the show with Luther single-handedly locking Vanya in the soundproof room while she was searching for forgiveness, so I wanted to build on that and make it seem more like a team decision borne out of necessity, with Vanya's rage never having had the "buffer" of thinking she'd killed Allison and then having it just grow when Leonard is also ripped away from her by her family.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! As always, your thoughts are welcomed and appreciated. Have a merry Christmas <3


	15. The final note

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter got majorly delayed due to the holidays, and the fact I was working on my Bang event 'The Blessing and the Beast', which is a story about Five attempting to time travel and instead landing in the dimension where Ben's tentacle beast resides. Please go check it out if that sounds of interest, it's focused on Five but has all of the other siblings featuring in later chapters :)
> 
> Also I wanted to share this gorgeous fanart by @chikinan on tumblr, which was kindly drawn based on my request of a Five & Diego bonding moment with Diego showing Five how to use one of his knives. Found here: https://caelicekiss.tumblr.com/post/638779094596829184/incredible-fanart-courtesy-of-chikinan-who-was
> 
> Hope you enjoy the chapter! TW: Panic attack, PTSD-like symptoms, gun violence, mob/mass panic

If Five didn’t know any better, he would have thought that the city was splitting open beneath them.

The floor was juddering under his feet, and picture frames which had been hanging on the walls were falling and crashing to the ground, shattering into a thousand pieces around them. There was no question about it; the Academy was going to come crashing down on them if they didn’t get the hell out of there. 

Before he could even begin to react, Diego hauled him off the bed by his armpits and pulled Five’s arm over his shoulder, forcing him to stand.

“Klaus, get the briefcase!” he ordered. He was practically carrying Five in his haste, however Five didn’t have the energy to complain about it. 

Klaus fumbled for the briefcase, grabbing it close to his chest before following behind them. “I’ve got it!” 

Five caught a final glimpse of Dolores propped up on the table before they turned the corner. Her expression hadn’t changed, but his heart ached as he realized that he was leaving her behind for a second time. As senseless as it was, he almost wanted to turn back and beg Diego to take her with them, but he kept his mouth shut. There was no time for sentimentalities, not when the walls were crumbling around them. 

He was hanging off Diego’s shoulder, struggling to keep up with his momentum. Every step sent a sharp pain jolting through his side and his head and he had to grit his teeth to keep from screaming.

They reached the stairs and slowed as they descended so as not to go tumbling, although he could feel Diego straining with the effort not to simply haul him down as quickly as possible.

The others had emerged from their rooms, congregating at the bottom of the stairs as they looked around anxiously at the Academy walls. 

Klaus huffed as he reached the bottom step. “Well, that didn’t hold her for long!” 

“We need to get to safety, outside the Academy!” Pogo said urgently, and Diego nodded briskly before continued to pull Five down the hallway while Klaus hovered behind nervously.

“Don’t forget Mom!” 

Five struggled to keep up with his brother’s pace, pulling against Diego when he felt the floor tilt underneath him. Bricks and stone from the ceiling were starting to fall to the ground, blasting dust around them.

“ _Mom!_ _”_ Diego yelled. “Mom-oh _shit_!”

He hauled Five to the side, narrowly avoiding a falling brick, and Five felt something tear. The pain was blinding, so much so that his vision whited out for a second and when he came to they were still running. His legs seemed to be moving of their own accord, the only things keeping him going.

“Five, sorry, but you’ve gotta go faster damn it!” Diego snapped, more apologetically than anything. He seemed unaware that Five was about to pass out from the pain.

“Fuck, _sorry_ ,” Five gasped, leaning over as he ran and pressing against his side. “Don’t slow down! Just keep going.”

Klaus had somehow gotten ahead of them, and as he turned to look back debris fell on to him. He shrieked and shielded his head, however Five barely had a moment to react as something smacked into his head and he jerked out of Diego’s grasp, instinctively teleporting away from the danger.

He reappeared only a few feet away, tumbling and falling against the balustrade.

 _Fuck_ , he was all over the place. His skull felt like a giant bruise, and the world around him was strangely moving in slow motion. He tensed at the nausea rolling around in his stomach and cursed at his carelessness; the last thing he needed was another concussion on top of his current one.

Through blurry eyes he saw Diego fall as well, sprawling onto the ground lifelessly. It should have scared him, it _did_ scare him, but he was too busy trying to keep the world the right way up to say anything.

He could only watch as Klaus groaned and pushed himself up, his eyes jumping upwards and widening in panic. Cracks were appearing in the ceiling, debris scattering around them, threatening to crush them.

“Diego! Diego!” Klaus was shaking Diego frantically. “ _Diego!_ _”_

A huge slab detached from the ceiling. Five’s heart skipped a beat and he reached out, feeling like he was wading through water in an effort to reach his brothers.

Suddenly, some invisible force dragged both Diego and Klaus out of the way as the slab crashed into the ground. It dropped them moments later, out of harms’ way.

“Holy shit,” Diego slurred, as he pushed himself up to his knees. “Where’s Five?”

His eyes were searching around frantically, and he looked relieved as they settled on Five.

Before he could say anything however, Five pushed himself up to his feet with only sheer willpower, grabbing the briefcase out of Klaus’ hand. His legs were wobbling hard enough he was sure they would hear his knees knocking, but he knew that it was either this or death right now.

“Klaus, help Diego! We’ve got to get out of here!” he barked, limping his way towards the fire escape.

He forced the window open, clambering out and watching as Klaus helped Diego climb out of it gingerly.

They climbed down the shaky metal stairs, shielding themselves from the falling bricks until they reached the final step. The ground beneath them was trembling as well, which did nothing to help Five’s balance as they stumbled away from the Academy.

“You both okay?” Klaus asked, his question directed at both Five and Diego.

Five nodded jerkily, while Diego grabbed at the sides of Klaus’ face, staring at him in awe.

“Hey, you just saved my life, man.” He wrapped Klaus in a tight hug before the other man could protest, and as Five watched Klaus shoot someone behind Diego an apologetic look.

He resisted the urge to laugh, knowing full well that it was Ben that had saved the two of them. He would have to shatter Diego’s dreams later, when he knew the others were safe.

“Shit.” Diego’s eyes were fixated on the Academy. “Mom. Mom!”

Five glanced up and felt his heart drop into his stomach as he spotted Grace waving at them sadly through the window. Despite the fact that the building was crumbling around her, she made no move to leave the room.

Five remembered with a nauseating clarity all those months ago, when he had first picked through the ruins of the Academy and found their mother buried with a permanent smile on her face.

“Mom! Get out of there, now!” Klaus yelled, waving frantically.

“Mom, get out of there! Mom!”

Five slammed the briefcase into Klaus, who grabbed it instinctively.

“Ow! Five, what the h-”

Five was gone before he could hear the end of that sentence, blinking straight back into the Academy without a second thought. He couldn’t leave Grace behind, not now when he was actually _here_ to save her.

He landed on the shaking ground directly behind her, immediately putting a hand up to shield himself from the dust and rubble that was falling from the ceiling.

Grace turned around, eyes round with surprise, but Five wasted no time.

He ran forward, wrapping his arms around her waist and using the last reserves of his energy to _shove_ them both through another blink.

They landed outside, farther than he had been aiming for, which was probably for the best since the Academy was crumbling down behind them.

He would have completely collapsed if he didn’t feel Grace’s arms curl around him, keeping him upright.

“Five, dear, that was very reckless of you,” she said sternly, although she didn’t seem too upset. She reached down to brush his hair back behind his ear, and he could suddenly see everything in her that was beyond their father’s programming.

“Yeah, well…Dad always hated that about me,” he said, grinning back at her.

He felt something grab his shoulders and turn him around. Suddenly he was staring at Diego’s furious face, covered in dust and with small specks of blood littering his forehead.

“ _What the hell were you thinking?_ _”_ he nearly shouted, glancing between Five and Grace. “Jesus, Mom, thank god you’re okay. But, Five, what the hell?”

He let go of Five momentarily to hug their mother, wiping away the tears that had been streaming down his face. She patted him on the back comfortingly and he melted into her embrace, before he turned back to Five with that same furious glare.

“Don’t you ever goddamn do something that dangerous again!”

“I can’t promise that,” Five said unapologetically, although he didn’t resist as Diego pulled him into a tight hug. He needed it as much as his brother did right now.

“Thank you,” Diego murmured into his hair, his fingers digging tightly into Five’s back. “Seriously, thank you, but I swear to god I’ll strangle you myself if you scare me like that again,”

“Duly noted,” Five croaked right back into his chest.

Klaus caught up to them, holding the briefcase and looking equally as frazzled.

“Christ! Five, you nearly gave us a heart attack.” He bent over, holding his side and letting his briefcase swing down against his side dramatically. “God just…let me catch my breath. All this adrenaline can’t be good for my fragile body. ”

Just as he took in a deep breath, the Academy went crashed down to the ground, sending smoke billowing up around them.

Five couldn’t see anything, but he felt Diego grabbing his arm and pulling him away.

It was starting to give him déjà vu, being constantly pulled around like a rag doll, but he relented because frankly he didn’t have the strength to move himself right now.

They ran around the corner and out of the alleyway, crouching behind the wall, Diego wrapping his arms around him and shielding him from the worst of the dust. His hand reached up to cup the back of Five’s head, carefully maneuvering him so that he was almost completely covered.

Five could see Grace and Klaus kneeled together next to them, Grace similarly holding Klaus’ head against her neck to protect him.

The dust billowed around them as the ground shook from the force of the destruction.

Five squeezed his eyes shut, gasping for breath as he inhaled a huge breath of soot, and the taste of it sent him launching back into the Apocalypse.

Standing in the ruins of the Academy for the first time and calling out for his siblings, for his _father_. The air thick with ash, and the skies grey from the rising smoke from the burning building around them.

Back in the wasteland with only himself for company.

It took him a while to register that Diego was talking, and when he shook himself free of the memories he realized that he was shaking quite badly. Diego must have felt the vibrations against his arm, and he seemed to understand what was happening.

“Five, hey, it’s okay, just focus on me,” Diego was saying, his voice muffled by the sound of the destruction around them. “I’m here with you.” He squeezed softly, hugging Five closer to him in a gesture of comfort.

Five wanted to say he was fine, to verbalize that there was nothing for Diego to worry about, but he didn’t trust the words that would come out of his mouth. Instead he clenched his jaw hard enough to hurt, and just waited for it to end.

It seemed to take an age for the dust to finally settle.

Even when the crashing and crumbling has stopped the air was still thick with ash from the destruction, and by the time they picked themselves up from the ground the sun was setting.

Five pushed himself up with the help of his brother, biting back a groan.

The headache which was been splitting his head open from the debris falling onto him was now receding, but it had been replaced by a ringing in his ears. His side was also wet with blood, thanks to the constant jostling of the past few minutes having ripped open his stitches. 

He decided to ignore that for now, until they were sure that the others were okay.

Carefully he shifted his arm to ensure that it was covering the bloody stain and stepped out with the others to survey the wreckage.

The Academy was completely ravaged, the only thing left a mass of burning rubble which was sending plumes of smoke into the dark, moonlit sky. What had once been their home was now nothing but ruin, and when they went to stand in the rubble Five couldn’t help but think of that first time he kneeled in front of the Academy.

It was like his worst nightmare coming true all over again.

He swallowed roughly as the others began to call out for Allison, Luther, Pogo and even Vanya, although they suspected that she was long gone by now. He was numb as he stared out at the scene around him.

How could this have happened? How could he have _let_ this happen?

They had killed Harold Jenkins for God’s sake, they had stopped the Apocalypse; Five had done what he’d set out to do since finding the glass eye held in Luther’s hand.

He felt something gently touch his side, and he looked down to see Diego gently brushing at the blood which had stained his top.

“You’re bleeding,” Diego said, furrowing his brow. “Your stitches…shit, they must have torn. Let me look-”

Five moved away, staring down at the stain in disbelief.

Fuck.

It was only now, after all of the chaos had died down that he realized that he was literally wearing nothing but the formal light blue Umbrella Academy pajama set, which he didn’t remember changing into, and fuzzy socks.

“Just my stitches, it’s fine,” he said, scowling at his attire. “More importantly, where the hell are my clothes? I wasn’t wearing this before.”

“I had to change you out of them,” Grace explained gently. “You had bled through your uniform, and I thought you might be more comfortable sleeping in your pajamas.” She surveyed the Academy with a sad look that he had rarely ever seen on her, and wondered if she felt any kind of sorrow at the destruction of their home.

Five sighed, resigning himself to looking like he was going to a sleepover at least until they could find an alternative.

“Any sign of the others? Luther, Allison, Pogo-”

“Pogo’s dead.”

They all turned sharply to see Luther and Allison walking over to them from across the rubble, harrowed and upset.

“What?” Diego asked, his face falling.

“Vanya killed him,” Luther said, his expression grim. Five’s breath stuttered, and he could see the shock on his brothers’ faces as well.

Diego shook his head. “But Vanya wouldn’t-”

“We saw it,” Allison sighed, reaching up to rub the dust from her cheeks. “Just before getting out. It was…pretty gruesome. She walked out the front door after that, so we know she’s still alive.”

“So what do we do now?” Luther asked. His eyes traveled down to where Five was, and he frowned. “Five, are you wearing PJs? Also you’re bleeding, are you okay?”

“Yeah, we need to get that seen to stat,” Diego said, and his tone was firm as if he expected Five to argue.

Before they could make a move the sound of sirens pierced the air, and a bright light beamed down upon them. Five squinted up at the sky, head throbbing from the sudden bright light, and heard the sound of helicopters looming above.

They split up, Diego picking up Five before he could protest, while Klaus pulled Grace along with him. As they ran in different directions, Five couldn’t help but give one last lingering look at the Academy and all of its wreckage. In the darkness of the evening, the embers cast an ethereal glow over the rubble that had been their childhood home.

It was a sight he had never wanted to see again, despite how much it had been branded permanently into his brain.

* * *

They regrouped at the Super Star. The bowling alley was crowded enough for them to go relatively unnoticed, which was a blessing in disguise.

Diego had carried Five in and placed him on one of the chairs, while Luther and Allison had gone to pick up the bowling shoes for them, since the woman at the counter told them they weren’t allowed on the lanes without the proper footwear.

Klaus had sat on the chair next to Five, propping Five’s legs up onto his lap to keep them elevated. Diego was letting Five use his own lap as a pillow while Grace carefully unbuttoned his bloody pajama top and set to work.

“I can’t believe you _idiots_ locked Vanya in the basement,” he grumbled, tensing as Grace pinched the wound in his side shut. They had been forced to make do with super glue instead of stitches, which unfortunately was still just as painful for him. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“It was a temporary solution until we figured out something better. We didn’t know what the hell else to do,” Diego said, looking tired. “We tried to tell her the truth about Jenkins, but it was like talking to a brick wall.”

“A very pissed off brick wall that was kicking up an in-house tornado,” Klaus quipped.

“You should have woken me up to talk to her.”

Klaus patted him on the shin.

“As much as I hate to say this, Fivey, I don’t think there’s anything you could have said to calm her down in that moment. Vanya…wasn’t really in the mood to listen,” he said, smiling sadly. “Not that I blame her with everything that’s happened, but sometimes it’s easier to lie to yourself than to listen to the truth. Believe me, I would know.”

Five bit his lip, surprised by the sincerity in his brother’s statement.

He had been feeling pretty crabby with them since leaving the Academy, but in truth he knew he couldn’t blame them. He himself had made dozens of mistakes since arriving for the first time. Meritech, Hazel and Cha Cha, _Detective Patch_ and goddamn Harold Jenkins _;_ and endless series of missteps leading up to this final moment.

They were all wading through unfamiliar waters, facing the end of the world with no guidance on how to stop it.

The only thing that mattered now was Vanya. Stopping her, saving her… _fixing_ her.

“How’s your head feeling?” Grace asked him, gently turning his head slightly to get a better look at the initial injury.

“Better, thanks. Probably got another dent from where some bricks landed on me, but other than that I’m fine.” He reached back to touch the wound gingerly, wincing when it sent a flash of hot pain through his skull.

“You’ve always been hard-headed,” Diego joked, and Five rolled his eyes.

When Luther and Allison arrived with the bowling shoes, Five was grateful to be wearing something a bit more than fluffy socks. He looked ridiculous in his pajama set and rented shoes, but he could worry about that later.

He forced himself to sit up, ignoring the aches he was feeling all over, and addressed the others.

“Okay, we need a game plan. We need to find Vanya, _before_ she loses even more control and sets off the Apocalypse,” he said, buttoning up his pajama top carefully. “We still have time, but not much.”

“What do we do when we find her?” Luther asked, looking unsure. “How do we…stop her? She seems pretty powerful, more than all of us put together.”

“What we should have been doing all along. We _talk_ to her.”

“You think that’ll work?” Allison asked, her voice tinged with hope.

“I do,” he said steadfastly. “Vanya’s not a monster; she’s our sister and she’s suffering right now. There’s still a chance to fix her without having to do the worst, and I’m willing to take that chance.”

His eyes slid down to the briefcase at his feet, the option that he was still holding as his last resort.

There was an uneasy silence for a few moments, but after some thought Diego shrugged and leaned back against his chair.

“Alright, works for me. It’s worth a shot at least.”

“Let’s try it,” Luther said, while both Klaus and Allison nodded in relief. “How will we find Vanya though? She could be anywhere by now.”

Klaus cleared his throat, drawing their attention to himself. He had picked up one of the newspapers and was staring down at one of the pages, and he flipped it around to show them its contents.

“Maybe this?” He tapped his finger against a large ad which had Vanya’s face plastered on the front. “Vanya’s concert, it’s tonight.”

“Icarus theatre,” Five read. He remembered seeing a leaflet being stuck to Jenkins’ fridge, having been irritated to see it in his house at all. “I guess that’s where we’ll be.”

“Well, in that case we should-”

“Hello.”

They all turned at once to stare at the new voice, an employee of the bowling alley who was looking at them with a slightly strained smile on her face.

“I hate to intrude, but my manager says if you’re not gonna bowl, you gotta leave.” She gestured helplessly before turning to leave. From behind her, they could see a stone faced manager slamming a pair of bowling shoes onto the counter.

Diego sighed. “Whose turn is it?”

While Luther grudgingly picked up one of the bowling balls and flung it across the lanes, Klaus stood up and announced he was going to get them some snacks.

Grace took the empty seat next to Five and patted the creases out of her dress. It did little to remove the dust, but he felt like it must be one of her habits considering he had never seen her looking anything but fresh and perfectly presentable.

“How are you doing, Mom?” he asked, voice too low for the others to hear.

She sighed, her usual positive attitude slightly subdued by the events of the evening.

“Well, Five, it hasn’t been the easiest day,” she admitted, giving him a sad smile. “Pogo was a dear friend to me, and while you children were away I could always count on his presence to make the Academy feel less lonely. Your father preferred to stay in his study most days after you all left.”

Five made a noise of derision.

“Oh, he did that even after we left? I always thought that was just because he hated being around children. Specifically, _his_ children.”

Grace hummed thoughtfully. “Oh, there’s some truth in that. You father was a great man, but I don’t have much good to say about his skills as a father.”

Five turned to stare at her slowly, his eyes wide with shock.

“Mom, did you just…say something _bad_ about Dad?” he asked, wondering if he’d misheard. She blinked at him, unperturbed. “What the hell did Pogo _do_ to you exactly?”

“He lifted your father’s limitations on my behavior, and refined my ability to learn from experience and adapt both my behavior and my thinking patterns accordingly,” Grace said matter-of-factly. “Although he did keep in some of the necessary functions, such as ensuring you and your siblings’ protection as my number one priority. In any case, I would do that even without my programming.”

It was utterly strange to hear her speak of her programming in such detail. She had always been the picture perfect housewife that Reginald had created to mother the children, which meant that conversation was always limited to either emotional support or what they wanted to eat for dinner.

Not quite the most in-depth conversations, and certainly _never_ any acknowledgment that she was anything less than human.

“That’s…that’s really great, Mom,” Five said, and he meant it genuinely. “I’m glad he did that. I’m really happy for you.”

Grace’s expression turned melancholy.

“It was his final gift to you children.” She turned to look out as Diego and Luther, who were now playing a very competitive bowling game to pass the time as they waited. “Oh, my dear Pogo…”

Before Five could say anything to comfort her, Klaus returned with an armful of snacks from the vending machine. He set them down on one of the chairs, tossing a candy bar to Five. As Five ripped it open and nibbled on it, Klaus started wolfing down some gummies.

Grace excused herself, mentioning something about going to get some healthy snacks for them. As Five surveyed the mass of chips and candy that Klaus had bought, he silently agreed with her. If they were headed into a potential fight to stop the end of the world, they needed more than chocolate bars and gummy snacks to keep them going.

“How you feeling over there, Fivey?” Klaus said through a mouthful of candy.

“I’ve been better,” he admitted. “I’ll _be_ better once we talk to Vanya and stop the world from ending. You?”

“Oh, me? You know, absolutely dandy.” Klaus gestured casually around them. “ Just…basking in my glory at having saved Diego’s life, as he keeps reminding me.”

“Oh? And how does Ben feel about you taking all the credit?”

Klaus gasped. “I _knew_ you saw! You better not say anything about that-”

“Say anything about what?”

Diego walked past and seated himself next to Five, looking curiously between the two of them. It seemed like the game between himself and Luther had fizzled out, while Allison was now filling in with an attitude that could only be described as less than enthusiastic.

“About how Ben saved your life and not Klaus.”

Diego whirled around, looking at Klaus with outrage. “Ben _what?_ What the hell, Klaus, you could have mentioned that!”

“What-don’t put the blame on me! You ‘re the one who assumed-”

“Oh, that’s a bullshit excuse and you know it!”

Five rolled his eyes, letting their endless bickering wash over him like a comforting blanket. Watching Allison trying to teach Luther the proper bowling techniques and listening to Diego and Klaus arguing set something alight in him.

It was a warmth that he hadn’t felt for a long time, the comfort and familiarity of being with his family once again.

Only it was still missing someone.

There was a Vanya-shaped hole in this picture. She needed to be there, laughing and smiling along with them as part of the family. 

He wondered where she was right now, and if she was thinking about them.

“Excuse me?”

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a woman standing in front of them, arms around a teen who was about Five’s age. He was holding a bowling ball shyly, with a shiny decorative blue ribbon pinned to his shirt.

“Excuse me, it’s my son Kenny’s birthday today, and…uh, wouldn’t your son be happier playing with kids his own age?” she said brightly.

In front of him, he could see Klaus stifling a snort, which turned into a hysterical giggle.

“Assuming it’s okay with your two dads.”

The giggling abruptly stopped, and Klaus’ face went slack. He turned to stare wordlessly at Diego, who glared back at him unimpressed.

“What do you say, Five?” Diego said with a deadpan stare. “You wanna go play ball with Kenny?”

Five narrowed his eyes at him, before turning back to the woman and her child.

“I would rather _eat my own face,_ _”_ he snarled, watching as her expression dropped into one of indignation. He glared at her until she ushered her son away from them, shooting back outraged glances at the group.

Next to him, he heard Diego and Klaus snickering, and when he turned to look back at them they quickly covered up their expressions of mirth and turned away innocently.

“Idiots,” he muttered, shaking his head. He reached out for a juice packet and tore it open, absent mindedly staring down at the briefcase he had left by his feet.

The option to use it was still lingering in his mind, despite the fact that every cell in his body screamed against it. It was too dangerous, too unpredictable, and it meant throwing his family into the past and potentially changing their future. There were too many variables involved, and he didn’t trust either himself or his family to do it the _right_ way, if there even was a right way.

The biggest obstacle in his mind was Claire.

As sad as it was, his other siblings had clearly struggled to build a life for themselves - Luther had had their father in the Academy and then had spent time on the Moon, Diego was a dropout living a life of fighting crime and Klaus was only newly sober. Vanya, from what Five had seen, had a relatively sedentary and lonely lifestyle with the exception of this new promotion to First Chair.

Claire, however, was the biggest complication. The smallest change in the past could create a butterfly effect leading to her being wiped from existence, and Five knew that he couldn’t let that happen.

They needed to make this work, they needed to stop Vanya _today_ , without invoking time travel.

* * *

The Icarus Theatre was empty when they arrived, the sound of the orchestra floating through the hallways as they rushed up the stairs as quickly as they could.

They had wanted to catch Vanya before the performance, before they ended up trapped in the theatre with hundreds of people there to potentially witness her unleashing her powers. The more people around, the harder it would be to talk to her and gauge how best to tackle the situation.

They hadn’t, however, accounted for the fact that they didn’t have a car.

Allison’s had been abandoned near Jenkins’ cabin, and Diego’s car keys had been left within the rubble of the Academy. With the police on their tail, there hadn’t been time to hot wire the vehicle so they’d simply left it.

It meant that they had needed to opt for public transport when leaving the bowling alley, and as it turned out, nobody actually knew the goddamn way to the Icarus Theatre.

It was another reminder of their lack of involvement in both Vanya and each other’s lives, and Five hadn’t hesitated to point it out irritably while Diego had exasperatedly pushed him onto one of the seats.

“Kind of hard to take you seriously when you’re wearing PJs and stolen bowling shoes,” Diego had retorted, ignoring Five’s glare.

Five had allowed Luther to hold the briefcase, mainly because his strength wasn’t where he wanted it to be, and if anyone could keep a death grip on the briefcase it would be Number One.

Fortunately the performance starting meant that there had only been one or two ushers who had tried to stop the ragtag group from entering, however Allison had quickly taken care of them with a rumor.

They looked hideously out of place - Luther a hulking mass over most of the crowd holding a briefcase by his side, Diego clad in his usual leather outfit, Klaus’ makeup had smudged all over his face, Grace was still wearing her apron and Five looked like he’d just been in a violent slumber party.

Allison was the only one of them who could have passably looked like she was a casual theatre-goer, however like the rest of them she was covered in dust from when the Academy had collapsed.

“It’s in here,” Diego said once they arrived at the doors to the main hall. He reached for the door before hesitating, looking back at the others. “What…do we just go in? How the hell are we going to talk to her in front of a live freaking audience?”

“Maybe we can head backstage, watch her from there and try to catch her at intermission?” Klaus suggested, looking hopeful. “I mean, it would be pretty obvious to us if she starts losing control, right? Maybe she won’t lose control-”

Five was only vaguely listening to them, unable to stop himself from reaching out, placing his palm against the door. 

_Vanya was so close._

He felt the hairs rising on the back of his neck and a strange chill down his spine.

Something was wrong.

The music from the orchestra had been drifting through the halls since they had entered, melodious and rich, a constant reminder that they were running out of time to stop Vanya. However suddenly, it was silent.

The music was gone, and Five whirled around to ask if the others had noticed it too, and stopped.

His siblings were completely still, like marble statues, standing preserved mid-action as if someone had stopped the clocks, as if the world had frozen in time.

Yet Five was still moving as if nothing had changed, and as he reached out to touch Diego’s sleeve a voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Hello, Number Five.”

Five stopped, his breath catching in his throat as fear ripped through him like electricity.

 _He knew that voice_.

A cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck, and he curled his shaking hands into fists. It was instinctive, a way to protect himself even thought he felt terrified and small.

He turned slowly, just enough to glance behind his family and to see her instantly.

She was standing at the top of the opposing stairs, waving at him. Even though they were level, he felt she was looming over him like an Angel of Death.

The Handler was wearing the same black trenchcoat, the same red high heels, and holding the very same cigarette holder between her hands as she observed him from where she was standing. Most importantly, there was a briefcase placed at her feet.

It was just like in his nightmares, his endless visions of her standing over him as she spoke. The cold touch of her nails sliding down his neck and gripping his shoulders in a vice.

Most days he could still feel that grip, squeezing the breath out of him.

His eyes flickered over to where Luther was standing, for their own briefcase, and to his relief he found that Luther had been holding the briefcase in a position which would cover it from the Handler’s view.

Five needed it to stay that way.

“Surprised to see me?” she asked, after several seconds of him standing there frozen. It was clear she had expected him to speak, but his silence didn’t seem to concern her. “I’m not sure how I feel about this new outfit of yours, Number Five. I quite preferred the little schoolboy getup.”

Her eyes raked over him with that sharp, hungry gaze that made him feel exposed.

“I have to commend you, you know, for managing to find a way out of the Apocalypse for a second time. Of course, I’m aware you had some help from one of my agents, but still. You’re a…relentless little thing, aren’t you?”

Five stared at her, unable to respond. He felt like his heart was going to explode with how fast it was beating.

He wasn’t sure if he was more afraid of dying, or of her getting any closer to him.

“What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?” she asked playfully. He scowled. “Now don’t look so put out. I never would have sent you back if you’d just kept your little nose out of it.”

The Handler reached down, and he jerked back reflexively. His back hit the door in a loud _thud_ and he felt his hands going numb, however she merely reached down to pick up the briefcase.

She paused, looking at him with a wicked smile. She didn’t comment on his reaction, just began to walk down the stairs without taking her eyes off him.

He panicked, scared that she was going to see Luther and the briefcase, and blinked.

Suddenly she was in front of him, at the bottom of the stairs, the closeness sending uncontrollable fear rocketing through his body however he stood his ground.

Five needed her to stay the hell away from his siblings.

“How…” he began. It was like talking through a mouthful of sand, and try as he might he couldn’t stop his voice from wavering. “How did you find me?”

The Handler gestured around them dramatically.

“Isn’t it obvious?” she asked. “This is where it all happened the first time! In the Icarus Theatre, this very night, during this _very same_ performance.”

Five felt his heart stop.

He struggled to hide his shock, but The Handler had seen it already.

“Poor Number Five,” she sighed, giving him a pitying look. “You thought you could change things. Save your little family, maybe even save the world. You’ve always been persistent, but I’m afraid that persistence…just isn’t enough this time. ”

She reached out and he flinched, _needing to get away_ , but he couldn’t move any further he was so frozen in fear.

She touched his cheek with her fingers, dragging them down his skin and sliding them under his chin and lifting his head up to face her. They stared at each other for several seconds, her fingers gently brushing the underside of his jaw.

It burned everywhere that she touched him, like a cold flame.

Five saw the fingers around the briefcase clench and he reacted instinctively, _viscerally_.

He reappeared a few feet away, slamming against the stair railing and gasping for breath. He felt nausea churning in his gut from the jump, and he wondered if this was how his passengers felt when he teleported with them.

The Handler laughed, delighted by his reaction. “Oh, _relax_! You’re being so paranoid; I’m not going to send you back there. Promise.”

Five gripped the railing he had landed next to, white-knuckling it in an effort to stay steady on his feet, and grit out:

“Then _what_ the hell _do_ you want?”

She gave him a pointed look. “The same thing I wanted the last time we spoke: to offer you a job. Now, you can abandon your family, come work a cushy job at the Commission with good pay and benefits, or…you can stay here _with_ your family and well, die a horrible death.” The last few words were 

“You know very well that my answer is the same as it was before; go _fuck yourself_ ,” he responded, although his voice barely came out as more than a whisper.

The Handler sighed, shaking her head and walking forward until she was standing next to him. He felt his skin crawling as she approached, and his palms sweating.

“You really are as stubborn as a mule,” she mused. “Although you’re completely right, I didn’t expect any different. It’s a shame really; you would have made an incredible asset to the Commission.”

He averted his gaze, staring down at the steps beneath him. He had nothing to say to that.

“I’ll tell you what, Number Five. Out of the kindness of my heart, I’m going to give you a little hint on how to stop the Apocalypse. The _only_ way to stop the Apocalypse.”

He turned, eyes wide. “W-what? Why the hell would you do that?”

“Why? Because it’s obvious to me that you already know _exactly_ how to stop the Apocalypse, you just refuse to believe it.” She reached out and gave him a patronizing little tap on his nose before straightening up, taking a puff from her cigarette holder. “So with that in mind, here’s the ultimate secret to stopping the Apocalypse; eliminate Vanya Hargreeves.”

Five stared at her, and she smiled back.

“A single bullet to the head should do it. Nothing more, nothing less.”

He shook his head, her voice drowned out from the sound of blood rushing through his ears. Despite everything, he felt a sudden furious spike of anger at her words.

“You’re wrong,” he said. “There has to be another way.”

“I’m afraid there isn’t, but you already know that. You’re a smart kid, Number Five, but you’re far too attached to that little family of yours, which means that you won’t do what needs to be done when the time comes. And that’s how I know that the Apocalypse can’t be stopped, regardless of what I tell you tonight.”

She gripped her briefcase, and Five stepped back instinctively.

“But who knows, maybe you’ll surprise me.” She smirked. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

In an instant and a flash of blue, she was gone.

There was music around him again, and the frantic voices of his siblings drifting across the room once more. The world had unfrozen, and they were back on a timer to stop the Apocalypse.

Five, however, felt the world tilting around him.

His heart was beating so fast he thought it might burst in his chest, and the fury that had been coursing through him throughout the conversation with The Handler diminished in an instant.

He pushed himself off the railing with jittery hands, and tried to take a deep breath to calm himself, but found that he couldn’t. It was stuck in his throat.

He tried again, but it was like breathing through a straw. Panic began to creep up his neck and into his mind and he turned, blindly feeling around for the railing that he had been leaning on. His fingers seemed to come away dusty, _why was it so dusty?_

_Was he back there? Had she taken him back, just like the first time?_

_Where were his siblings?_

He could hear his breath whistling through his lips and he tried desperately to calm himself.

_He needed to get through that door. He needed to find Vanya. He needed to save her from herself._

“Five? What are you doing down there?”

Grace was standing at the top of the steps, staring down at him with concerned eyes. Her words had interrupted the others’ bickering, and they turned in unison to stare at him.

Diego was the first to break away, jumping down in a hurry until he was next to Five.

“What happened, what’s wrong?” he demanded, eyes raking over Five as if searching for something. “Is it your injuries?”

Five shook his head, clenching his jaw as he forced himself to _calm the hell down_.

His head was whirling with thoughts, unwanted and undeniable, so much that they made him dizzy with fear. The aftermath of the Handler’s touch burned like streaks of fire against his face, leaving him cold and numb, but he forced himself to breathe through it despite how much his chest was squeezing the life out of him.

The Handler’s words were ringing in his ear, as much as he tried to silence them.

_Eliminate Vanya Hargreeves._

“It’s not…I’m not hurt,” he said finally, cringing at how croaky his voice sounded. “It-she…she was _here_.”

The others had made their ways down the stairs, just as concerned however they hovered back slightly, clearly not wanting to crowd him. He was grateful for the space.

“Who was here? Vanya?”

He shook his head. “No, The H-Handler.”

Diego stiffened in shock, before the expression on his face turned murderous.

“She _what_?” he snarled, straightening up and looking around frantically. “Where? Where the hell-”

“She’s gone. She…she stopped time somehow, except for me. We had a…conversation, I guess you could say.”

Diego swore under his breath, still looking furious, however Allison ignored him and reached out to touch Five’s arm.

“Five, what the hell happened?” she asked urgently. “What did she say? Did she hurt you?”

“She didn’t, but she…she…” he paused. “She said the only way to stop the Apocalypse is to _kill_ Vanya.”

He couldn’t see their reactions, but the resulting silence was more than enough.

“Okay…” Klaus said after a long pause, clearly trying to hide his distress. “I mean, I guess it’s not-I mean, I guess we had considered that we might have to…if there was no other option. But maybe she was lying? Maybe she was just trying to get a rise out of you, or something-”

“She said this is how it happened the first time,” Five interrupted, and Klaus’ voice died in his throat. “The Apocalypse, in this theatre, during Vanya’s performance. That’s how she knew we were here.”

“Which means this is exactly what we did the first time, which ultimately led to us all dying horribly,” Klaus finished, looking defeated. “Right, well that’s just fantastic, isn’t it?”

Five exhaled shakily, trying to calm his still racing heartbeat.

His eyes landed on the briefcase in Luther’s hands.

The Handler had mentioned nothing about the stolen briefcase, however there was no doubt that she knew about it.

Her tone had been too falsely casual, too forcibly unconcerned by the fact that Five was on the potential cusp of stopping the Apocalypse. Despite what she had said about the Apocalypse being inevitable, despite what she had revealed about how to stop it, Five knew she wasn’t the type to leave things in the hands of fate.

Which meant that they were in danger.

As if his thoughts had been heard, the sound of multiple footsteps down the hall where they had arrived suddenly made itself known.

Five spotted a glimpse of several men dressed in black making their way towards the stairs, guns pointed forward and bright red goggles flashing in the light.

Commission agents.

“Oh, _shit_ ,” Diego muttered.

Five whirled around. “New plan, get the hell inside the concert hall - _now!_ ”

He wasted no time waiting for them to react, blinking across the room and reappearing next to the fire alarm. Without hesitation, he grasped the handle and ripped it down.

The alarm rang out across the theatre, loud and blaring enough to drown out the music of the orchestra.

Five watched as the gunmen jumped, whirling around until they caught sight of him and lifted their weapons, however he was already blinking back to the entrance of the concert hall.

He landed right in front of Diego, who had been holding the door open.

“Come on, hurry!” Diego barked, not unkindly, reaching out to wrap his hand around Five’s arm and pull him in.

Just as he closed the door, there was a barrage of gunfire spraying towards them. They ran up the stairs and into the theatre before ducking into an empty row, ignoring the patrons who had been shifting down the aisles with zero sense of urgency.

“Everybody move! Get out, now!” Klaus was screeching, frantically gesturing at people to walk faster. Luther and Allison were doing the same, desperately trying to get everyone to leave while keeping an eye on the main entrance.

As the gunfire continued, the crowd began yelling in confusion, milling about and shoving each other in terror towards the other exits. The first gunman came running around the corner, only to be met by a knife in the face courtesy of Diego.

“We need to find Vanya!” Five said, glancing up over the seats to try and get a look at the stage.

“Be careful! _”_ Diego yelled, as they were jostled by the people running and screaming desperately. He was distracted by more Commission agents as they arrived, sending his knives flying across the room.

Just above the crowd of bodies running and shoving each other to escape, Five could finally see her.

 _Vanya_.

She was standing in the middle of the stage, eyes closed as she played her glowing white violin amongst the chaos of the crowd, lost in a world of her own.

Behind her the other musicians were scrambling out of their seats, instruments left behind as they ran across the stage frantically, however she paid them no mind.

Before Diego could stop him, Five pulled himself out of his brother’s grasp and made his way down the aisle, pushing past the stragglers.

“ _Five_! Shit-”

He ignored the others calling for him, his eyes fixated on his sister as she played. She looked mesmerizing, hair flying about her and both body and violin beginning to glow a bright, shining white light. Somehow, despite the noise and the chaos around them, he could hear every note she was playing.

It was the only thing he could hear., because he was back in the Academy.

He was in Vanya’s room, sitting on her bed with a book balanced on his lap as she slowly struggled through the first notes of _Ode to Joy._ Her face was pinched in concentration as she stared down at the music book on the stand in front of her.

He was back _home_.

The chaos around him faded as he stared up at Vanya on the stage, and watched as she opened her eyes and they locked gazes.

It was like she knew that he had been standing there, waiting for her.

“Vanya…”

The words were a whisper, but he knew that she could hear his voice as clearly as he could hear her music.

Behind him, the sound of gunshots was filling up the concert hall and his siblings yelling. It was far away, however, like a distant dream, because right now there was only Five and Vanya.

She was watching him now as she played, her eyes glowing so brightly it almost hurt to look.

“ _Vanya_ ,” he repeated, his voice pleading. “You have to stop playing. Please, before it destroys everything!”

She simply stared at him, her eyes shining brighter than even before. She closed them for a second, seemingly lost in the music, while her playing almost began to speed up, becoming more frantic and frenzied as the music swelled up and began to pierce through his almost dream-like state.

“Please stop… _Vanya_! You have to stop!”

He watched her desperately, reaching out to her as if he could touch her from here, even though she was still on the stage and he wasn’t.

“You can stop this, I know you can!”

Vanya opened her eyes once again, and Five could see tears streaming down her face, cutting a path down her cheeks. Their connection was broken, and the eyes which stared back at him were somehow both empty and tortured.

She shook her head, almost imperceptibly, but he saw it.

It was like a vice squeezing his heart, because he knew what it meant.

 _I can_ ' _t stop. I’m sorry._

 _“_ Vanya…”

 _“Five! Get down!_ ”

Someone, _Diego_ , grabbed him from behind, sending him flying down to the ground. He braced himself for impact but was spared at the last minute by his brother curling underneath him, softening his landing as they toppled down together.

Struck by dizziness, he pushed himself up off the ground, however was stopped by Diego’s hand on his arm.

“Stay down, you moron!” Diego yelled, forcing him back onto the ground. “You’re gonna get shot!”

Five wanted to yell right back at him, but the words were stuck in his throat.

He could see the bullets flying in every direction, burying themselves into the wall and seats and floor around them. He was afraid to even try to find the others, sure that the moment he lifted his head he’d be welcoming a bullet in his face.

Across from them, at the other end of the hall, a bright blue light began to glow across the rows of seats. It was almost like the blue that accompanied his own powers, however Five knew that couldn’t be possible.

“Holy shit, Klaus did it again,” Diego said, sounding almost breathless with disbelief. “It’s Ben!”

Unable to stop himself, Five stood up just enough to peek over the seats, until he could see the glowing blue form of his dead ghostly brother ripping his jacket open.

The familiar tentacles of his stomach beast shot out, wrapping themselves around the helpless Commission agents and throwing them across the hall. The tentacles grabbed whatever helpless body they could reach, squeezing the life out of them in a gruesome display of violence.

It was horrifying and incredible, a sight that Five had never thought he’d see again, and yet somehow all he could see was _Ben_.

The carnage was over in seconds, with the Commission agents laying across the hall, lifeless and unmoving.

His dead brother stood there, his body a bright and beautiful blue, and behind him Klaus stood with his fists clenched, looking just as stunned as the others at his own abilities.

Five’s eyes met with Ben’s, and he swore he could see Ben smiling at him before his form slowly began to fade away.

He wanted to dwell on it, wanted to appreciate that he’d just seen the brother he’d accepted was dead forever, but there wasn’t any time for that now.

He jumped forward, blinking until he was next to one of the dead Commission agents. He turned the body over, reaching for the handgun in the man’s holster and ripping it out.

He looked back onto the stage, where Vanya was continuing to play as if the chaos around her was non-existent. Her suit was turning a brilliant white now, radiating light as brightly as if she were a dying star.

The sight was breathtaking and gut-wrenching at the same time.

Five could see his siblings and mother gathering in the middle of the hall, and he made his way over to them, watching as Allison turned to face him. Her expression was hopeful, but it dropped when she caught sight of him.

“Five-” she began, but Five interrupted.

“It’s over,” he said, the words hollow on his lips. “She’s not stopping, so we need to stop her.”

“Are you sure?” Luther asked.

Five nodded, his eyes flickering over the others’ faces, each of them looking just as grim as he felt.

“I don’t think she can stop at this point, even if she wanted to,” he said, trying to ignore how his voice wavered. The floor was trembling beneath them now, the walls shaking from the force of Vanya’s powers. “It’s too powerful for her. We don’t have any other choice.”

Five stared at Allison, who had tears streaming down her face as she looked back at him helplessly.

“You guys need to distract her,” Five said, his voice distant, as if it belonged to someone else. “I don’t have a chance if she sees me coming. The only way to do it is to sneak up behind her.”

“What are you going to do?” Diego asked warily, looking ready to protest.

Five pulled out the gun that he’d taken from the Commission agent’s holster, showing it to them before pulling it back.

Klaus swore under his breath, dragging a hand down his face.

“I’ll go with you,” Allison said, reaching out to squeeze Five’s hand. He nodded, grateful that he wouldn’t have to do this alone, and entangled his fingers within hers.

Luther exhaled slowly, before turning to the others and easing back into a familiar leadership role that he had often fallen into as children on their missions.

“Stage left,” he said, pointing at Diego. “I’ll take stage right, and Klaus you take the front.”

“I’ll take the front with Klaus as well,” Grace interjected, looking solemn but determined.

Luther looked like he wanted to protest, wanted to shield their mother from any further danger, but decided against it.

“Good luck, boys and girls. I’ll see you on the other side,” Klaus said with a wobbly smile, before turning to run down one of the rows, Grace following behind him. Luther nodded at them before taking off to his side of the stage.

Diego and Allison exchanged a meaningful glance, before Diego looked at Five and said:

“Just be careful.”

Then he was off, running towards the other end of the stage.

Five squeezed Allison’s hand, a second’s warning, before teleporting the two of them together.

The landed behind Vanya, and while Allison crouched down looking slightly ill, she seemed to recover quickly. Likely from the pure adrenaline coursing through her veins at this moment.

Five barely paid her any attention, too fixated on Vanya to see anything else. She was still standing, playing her violin as the theatre shook around her.

He watched as the others went charging from their positions, running towards their sister with their faces twisted in determination.

Vanya whipped her violin around with ease, sending a shockwave out followed by long tendrils of white which pierced into each of their chests and pulled them up off their feet. They were hovering in the air, faces twisted in agony as the tendrils seemed to drain the life out of them.

Five knew what he had to do; he knew that he only had one chance.

_Eliminate Vanya Hargreeves._

He tried to lift the gun, tried to point it at Vanya, but found himself frozen.

Panic spiked through him as he realized that he was unable to move, and they were running out of time. He needed to save his brothers, needed to save the world.

But…how could he hurt Vanya? How could he kill her?

She was his sister. _He loved her._

Five felt gentle fingers prying his hand apart, and the gun slip from his grasp. Allison held it in her hand, giving him a gentle squeeze and a reassuring smile even through all her tears.

Then she turned, walking slowly towards Vanya and lifting the gun until it was pointed towards the back of Vanya’s head.

Five felt like time was stopping as he saw Allison tense as if she were squeezing the trigger.

The gun went off.

It was louder than any noise he’d ever heard in his lifetime.

Vanya’s body arched back, the bright light shooting out through the ceiling, like a deadly beam of energy shattering the glass and flying into space. For a moment she was suspended, arched like a statue hung from the ceiling.

Then she collapsed like a rag doll, the violin and bow falling to the floor in unison. Allison let go of the gun in favor of catching Vanya in her arms with great care.

Five found his legs moving of their own accord, bringing him closer to his sisters although he was scared of what he might see.

Vanya lay in Allison’s arms, unmoving and limp, but upon closer inspection there was no blood anywhere in sight. No sign that Allison had shot her fatally and that their whole world had shattered.

He dropped down to his knees, knees weak with relief.

“ _Thank you_ ,” he said to Allison, who looked up at him as if she’d forgotten he was there. “I couldn’t…I would have…”

_I would have killed her._

The words he couldn’t say, because he didn’t know if they were true. He just knew that he would have either killed Vanya or stood there doing nothing while the world ended around him. Either way, his guilt was endless.

She reached out and held his hand, intertwining their fingers together.

“It’s okay,” she said, her voice soft with understanding. “I don’t blame you.”

The others gathered around quickly, looking shaken but otherwise unharmed.

“Is she alive?” Luther asked, and Allison nodded.

“She’s alive,” she said, tears of relief sliding down her cheeks. She looked almost giddy with happiness, however, as she gripped Vanya close to her. “She might have a burst eardrum, but she’s alive.”

“Oh, thank God,” Klaus moaned, sliding his hand down his face. “Does that mean it’s over?”

“We did it,” Luther said, grining widely. “We saved the world.”

The others almost seemed to sag at this admission, aside from Grace who was carefully looking over Vanya for any further injuries.

Klaus stood up, sighing loudly and looking overall exhausted by the events which had just occurred. He wiped the sheen of sweat from his forehead, mumbling something under his breath about needing a drink.

Five felt someone bump against his shoulder, and he glanced over to see Diego looking at him.

“You doing okay?” Diego asked. He had blood running down his face, which was still covered in dust, but otherwise looked relatively unharmed.

Five nodded. He felt relieved without a doubt, but even more than that he was just tired. The kind of tiredness that seeped into his bones and made him feel like he was wading through water.

He ached everywhere; his mind, his body, even his soul.

Everything that had happened since the day he had left the Academy had led to this moment, and he knew that he should feel victorious but in truth, he just wanted to go to bed.

“Yeah, just…can’t believe it’s over.”

“Uh…guys?”

They all turned in unison towards Klaus, who was staring up at the ceiling, his posture slack.

As Five followed Klaus’ gaze he could see up in the sky, above the shattered glass ceiling and far into the distance, the Moon breaking apart.

A massive crater had been blasted into it by Vanya’s beam, and as they watched fiery projectiles were rocketing down towards them like shooting stars, a sight which would have been beautiful at any other time.

Five felt dread creeping up his spine.

“You see that big Moon rock coming towards us?”

They stood up, gazes locked onto the sky.

“That’s not good,” Luther breathed.

“Well…” Klaus turned around, giving all of them a wan smile. “At least the family’s back together again, right guys?”

Five stood up, reaching to grip at his hair tightly as his mind raced with desperation on how, _how_ they could get the hell out of this. _Come on_ , he thought desperately, pulling at the roots so tightly he thought he might rip them out.

It wasn’t ending like this.

It _couldn_ _’t_ end like this, not when he’d worked so hard to get back to his family. Not when he’d been catapulted back into that hell, only to be rescued again and given a _third_ chance to stop the Apocalypse.

He couldn’t accept that this was the end.

“Five…”

Diego was reaching out to him, but he jolted instinctively as he remembered; they still had one final option.

“Luther,” he said urgently. “Where’s the briefcase? Where did you put it?”

Luther turned around, his eyes widening with understanding. Hesitantly he pointed to a row of seats in the middle of the theatre.

“It’s hidden between those seats, but I don’t think it’s working - one of the agents hit it-”

Five blinked, landing close to where Luther had pointed and searched for the briefcase. He could see it tucked under one of the seats and raced down to retrieve it, propping it up against the back of a seat.

His heart sank as he took in the state of it.

One of the combination locks was slightly crooked, a chip having been blown off the metal. It looked as if a bullet had just nicked it, but as he reached down to adjust the numbers he found that they were jammed.

The date staring back at him was:

1-1-0-2-1-9-6-0/1

The last two numbers were completely stuck in between 0 and 1, and try as he might he couldn’t shift them without being scared that the whole thing would break under his fingers.

His hands began to tremble, however he forced himself to keep his composure.

The briefcase was stuck.

Five had no idea what that meant, whether they would all go landing in the swinging 60s or get torn apart while flying through time like tissue paper, but he knew that they had no other option.

They sound of explosions in the distance were coming closer now, their own demises looming ever closer as he grabbed the briefcase and blinked back to the stage.

“It’s working fine,” he said abruptly, as the others looked at him expectantly. He tried to swallow the guilt down as their faces transformed into one of relief. “This is our only chance; we use the briefcase to travel back in time, and figure everything out from there. Everyone in?”

They all glanced at each other, however Diego didn’t hesitate.

“Hell yes, I’m in,” he said gruffly, moving to stand next to Five.

“Yeah, whatever, me too.” Klaus shrugged, before looking behind him.

“Me too,” Luther said. “Allison? Mom?”

“I’m in,” Allison said eagerly, her hand stroking Vanya’s hair.

“Of course I’m in,” Grace agreed, standing up and beaming at Five. “I’m just happy to be with all of you.”

Luther nodded, his face creased with resolve, before glancing back at Klaus. “What about Ben?”

“Oh yeah, he’s in!”

Five gestured to their sister, still prone on the ground. “Great, Luther, grab Vanya.”

He felt a thrum of anticipation as his family began to gather close, Luther reaching down to pick up Vanya in his arms and shift her so that she was in a comfortable position.

“Should we be bringing her with us?” Luther asked uncertainly, staring at the rest of them for direction. “If she’s the cause of the Apocalypse, isn’t that like bringing the bomb with us?”

“We’ll figure it out later,” Allison said, reaching forward to clasp Vanya’s hand in her own. “But we sure as hell aren’t leaving her.”

The sky was alight with fire now, the crumbling pieces of the Moon shooting down across the world around them like a fiery comets ready to lay waste to their world.

Five knew they had only seconds to act. His heart thundering and his mind racing with what was to come.

On his right, Grace reached out to grasp his upper arm, the arm that was holding the briefcase. She looked unconcerned by the chaos that was unfolding around them. He could almost see something akin to excitement in her eyes, the anticipation of what was to come brightening her features uncharacteristically.

It set him alight with hope, seeing Grace simply being happy to be with her children.

He then looked at Allison’s anxious face and she met his eyes, giving him a tight but hopeful smile. He tried to return it even though he was burning with remorse as what he was potentially about to put her through, and what he was about to erase from her existence.

He had never gotten the chance to meet his niece.

He hoped Allison could forgive him, even if he couldn’t forgive himself for it.

Luther was holding Vanya with her head carefully laying on his shoulder, the hand tucked under her knees grasping Klaus’ tightly. Five could see the ghostly form of Ben standing behind Klaus, a hand on Klaus’ shoulder and looking just as nervous as the rest of them.

Diego reached forward, grabbing Five’s hand and squeezing it tightly. It was a gesture of comfort, of brotherly love, and Five found himself overwhelmed with gratitude.

He didn’t know what was going to happen, but at least he was with his family.

Five squeezed his hand around the briefcase handle, feeling for the button to activate it.

Around them, he could see the horizon alighting with fire, and the building trembling violently.

“ _Hold on tight!_ ” he yelled over the growing sound of the world burning around them.

He pressed the button, and a familiar crackle of blue energy began to flash around the briefcase. The walls of the theatre cracked, crumbled, and burst inward in a thunderous explosion.

Then they were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I actually finished a fic for the first time in nine years. I had a lot of different conflicting thoughts about how to conclude this fic, however it kept coming back to Five's statement in Season 1 that the Apocalypse was always going to happen, with Vanya as the cause. In my mind Vanya's trauma was never going to be a quick eight day fix, and something would always trigger it once she came off her meds and started realizing the truth about her powers. 
> 
> I may have some thoughts for a sequel alongisde the events of S2, however I have a few other Five-centric fics potentially in the pipeline so I'm not sure if and when a sequel would materialize. 
> 
> In any case if you've gotten this far, thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed, comments are always appreciated and a source of joy <3


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